


My Hand Has 27 Bones And I've Broken Every One

by demonic_crocs



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: (s), Armin is both the impulse control and single brain cell in the friend group, BAMF Eren Yeager, Badass Armin Arlert, Badass Eren Yeager, Badass Mikasa Ackerman, Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Character's Name Spelled as Bertholdt, Character's Name Spelled as Hanji, Character's Name Spelled as Jaeger, Don't Try This At Home, Eremin - Freeform, Eren Yeager Being an Idiot, Eren Yeager Has Issues, Everyone's a badass, F/F, Featuring Eren Being An Idiot, Gay Character, Gen, Genius Armin Arlert, Hange Zoë's Experiments, M/M, Medical Procedures, Mikasa and Eren have no self control i stg, My First Work in This Fandom, Nonbinary Hange Zoë, Not Canon Compliant, Protective Mikasa Ackerman, Sasha Blouse Being Sasha Blouse, Self Harm, Shifter Biology, Smart Armin Arlert, Titan Eren Yeager, Titan Shifter Biology, Titan Shifter Eren Yeager, Titan Shifters, Violence, Worldbuilding, a bit - Freeform, but like not really, but like seriously i find it hard to buy that eren didnt accidentally hurt himself during training, but only to test his healing abilities, but probably really inaccurate, canon character death, he just unhealthily thinks that hes part of the race that killed his mom, hes not doing it because he's depressed or suicidal don't worry, how did he not clue into the fact that 'oh shit my injuries literally STEAM', i already said that but it needs to be repeated, inaccurate medical procedures, medical bullshitting, no beta we die like men, sorry lol, to be fair so does everyone else, while flying around on literal grappling hook wires in a fucking forest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:41:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29259135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demonic_crocs/pseuds/demonic_crocs
Summary: Eren discovered he wasn't fully human two years into cadet training.-After an accident during training, Eren discovers healing abilities beyond his wildest dreams. It's only natural he'd want to test them. He never thought it would get this out of hand.
Relationships: Annie Leonhart & Eren Yeager, Armin Arlert & Eren Yeager, Armin Arlert/Eren Yeager, Eren Yeager & 104th Training Corps, Eren Yeager & Everyone, Eren Yeager & Hange Zoë, Jean Kirstein & Eren Yeager, Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Ymir, Levi Ackerman & Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman & Armin Arlert & Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman & Eren Yeager
Comments: 89
Kudos: 328
Collections: Attack On Titan





	1. Discovery

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Young and a Menace](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18736510) by [RedGhost1010](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedGhost1010/pseuds/RedGhost1010). 
  * Inspired by [The Injury Conundrum](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22368517) by [ChocolateMilkandRegrets](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChocolateMilkandRegrets/pseuds/ChocolateMilkandRegrets). 



> Season 4 is making me cry so I made this instead of sleeping, at 4 am.  
> The writing spirit possessed me and I now have like four chapters of this. You're welcome?  
> Nope never mind. My writing is shit I'm sorry you had to see this.  
> Either updates will be sporadic or I'll delete this within a day. Who knows. I'm severely sleep deprived as I write this, so I doubt I'll even remember doing it tomorrow morning.  
> Hope you enjoy it!!  
> -  
> Warnings!! Blood, and a broken arm

Eren discovered that he wasn't fully human two years into cadet training. 

In retrospect, he really should have found out sooner. He'd always healed quickly, but after Wall Maria was breached, he was healing at such a rapid pace, he honestly would've questioned it if their lives in Trost weren't so brutal, and he wasn't constantly worrying about surviving the day. 

The first time he truly questioned it was two years after having joined the cadet corps. They had been going through an ODM gear obstacle course, and Eren, still eager to prove to Mikasa that he didn't need her stifling protection, recklessly went ahead and slammed into a tree. 

"Dammit!" He cursed under his breath, quickly anchoring himself to the tree, and stopping to catch his breath, before noticing the excruciating pain that was winding its way up his arm. 

Panicked, he quickly rolled up his sleeve, only to gasp in pain at the simple touch, tears beading in his eyes. It _hurt_ , but slowly, he managed to push the sleeve up as far as it could. Silent tears were rolling down his cheeks by the time he was done, his jaw aching from how hard he was clenching it. 

Taking in a few deep breaths to prepare himself, he looked down, and almost fell out of the tree in shock. 

His arm was an ugly shade of purple, swollen beyond belief, and clearly broken. There was a nasty cut that ran from his mid-forearm to his hand, oozing blood. 

_No wonder it hurt to touch it,_ he thought grimly, gritting his teeth against the throbbing pain that had set in. 

" _Fuck_ ," he muttered, mind racing. Thomas had been out of training for a week with only a broken finger, and he had been behind everyone for _months_. How was he supposed to continue training with a broken wrist? 

_No,no, no, no,_ He repeated to himself desperately. He couldn't be hurt, he had to keep training, he had to make it to the top to be able to kill all the titans! He couldn't do that with this kind of setback! 

Dimly, he remembered what his father had told him to do in case someone broke a bone. ~~( _He had been anxious to leave the house to meet up with Armin at the time, and hadn't listened as well as he should have._ ) ~~

_I need sticks, and bandages,_ he thought absentmindedly. He felt oddly disconnected, as he lowered himself to the ground, like he wasn't controlling his own body. _I can't let anyone know. I can't stop training, I'll just have to suffer through it until it heals._

He didn't register the steam until it hit him in the face. 

The heat snapped him out of whatever daze he'd fallen into, as his gaze fell to his wrist. The cut was _steaming_. 

He watched, terror and shock mixing together into the ultimate paralysis, as his skin knit itself back together, mending the torn flesh underneath the steam.

Slowly, his arm returned to its normal colour, and the pain lessened. 

Even after the steam had long since vanished, and the pain was little more than a memory, he stood still, staring at his now-unbroken arm. 

"What the hell?" He asked himself quietly, shaking himself out of his stupor. He flexed his wrist, testing it for any lingering pain, running his fingers over the area that had been cut. Nothing. There wasn't a single sign that he'd even been injured. 

How?   


_How_? 

Suddenly, in a brazen, impulsive move, he turned and _slammed_ his fist into the nearby tree. 

He watched in morbid fascination, as his torn knuckles sewed themselves back together, faster this time, bursts of steam emerging from the healing cuts, just like a-  


_Just like a Titan._

Oh god. 

Eren slumped to the floor, choked gasps slipping from his lips as he desperately tried to process his thoughts.   


He could heal. He could heal at unimaginable speeds, exactly like a Titan would. 

He healed exactly like one of those _monsters_ , like the mindless beasts that invaded his home, drove him even farther into his cage, ~~_ate his mother-_~~  


He froze suddenly, looking down at his knuckles. The blood was still there. On his arm too. It was drying now, but it was still there. 

His blood hadn't evaporated. He was still human. He wasn't a complete monster. 

At the realization, dozens of ideas flooded his mind as he ecstatically laughed. This was incredible! If he knew the extents of his healing... there would be no needless deaths within the Scouting Legion! He could be used as an asset, a _shield_ , against the very beings who possessed the same healing abilities as him. 

Eren grinned to himself, gleeful at the realization that he could save so many lives with his newfound abilities. No one would need to sacrifice themselves anymore! 

_I need to see how far I can go with this,_ His mind raced at the thousands of possibilities.

_I need to test it._


	2. Planning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren returns to his friends, and plans his experiments, making another discovery along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I guess I'm not deleting it?  
> The chapters are going to be shorter, but since they're short, I'll be able to write them quicker, and publish them sooner.  
> Lets go with once a week or so for updating schedule? I'm so bad with deadlines though, so take literally anything I say about them at face value.  
> Hope you enjoy!  
> -  
> Warnings!! Descriptions of medical experimentation, thoughts of self harm(only for the purpose of testing his healing powers but still), mentions of poison

When Eren returned to the barracks, exhausted, but elated, he hadn't thought that much time had passed while he was alone in the forest. 

That thought had been instantly disproven when he emerged from the forest, to see the sun beginning to set, and Mikasa had descended upon him like he'd been missing for weeks, and not hours. 

"Where _were_ you? What happened? Are you injured?" She bombarded him with questions, worry in her eyes. 

Eren scowled. He knew Mikasa was only trying to be helpful, but her overbearing personality sometimes felt suffocating.

"I'm fine," he snapped, turning away. "Lost track of time." 

"Is that blood on your hand?" Armin asked, finally joining the conversation. 

Eren cursed mentally. He'd completely forgotten about the blood on his knuckles from when he'd punched the tree. "I got a nosebleed," He made up on the fly, hoping to any god that was listening that Mikasa and Armin weren't paying attention to how red his ears were. 

"Are you sure you're okay?" Mikasa seemed to buy it, but Armin stayed silent, meeting his gaze evenly. Eren looked away hastily. 

"I'm fine, don't worry," He brushed Mikasa off. "Come on, we should head to the dining hall." 

Sighing, Mikasa and Armin followed Eren to the dining hall, joining the crowd that was entering it with them. As they sat at their usual spot, Eren silently began to plan. 

He needed to be able to test his healing abilities, but how? All he knew for sure was that a broken arm had healed within at least an hour, and his hand within ten minutes, or so. 

He didn't know how long it had taken exactly, he didn't know if it worked differently on any other parts of his body, if he could even heal from certain things, or if the severity of the wound accounted for how fast it would heal. 

_I'm going to need supplies._ He'd need a notebook at least, to document his discoveries, a way to tell the time, and he could easily smuggle a knife away when he had kitchen duty. 

He frowned, his previous elation slowly giving way to weariness and anxiety. I can't tell anyone just yet, He thought. No one would believe him, and even if he showed them, they'd likely think he was siding with the Colossal and Armored Titans if he didn't have a way of proving that he was on humanity's side. 

_No one can know. Not even Mikasa and Armin._ They were his best friends, but he had no idea how they'd react to it. Not to mention, if he was ever caught, they wouldn't know anything about his healing, making them safer. 

"Hey Jeager!" Jean's obnoxious voice cut through his thoughts. "Why the hell did you up and vanish? We were waiting around for you to finish, you know," 

Eren sighed. "I'm really not in the mood tonight, Jean," 

"Oh really?" Jean sneered, standing up and walking over to his table. "Well I am. I had to wait for your slow ass for two hours, instead of getting dinner." 

Eren saw Mikasa and Armin exchange looks out of the corner of his eye. "I'm sorry the stick up your ass is too painful for you to stand still for more than ten minutes," He said, glaring at the taller boy. It took all his strength to not throttle him. "But I'm tired, and I'd like to go to sleep without getting in a fight." 

Eren walked away, opening the door to the dining hall. Internally, he was fuming at Jean, but he knew it wasn't worth it. 

"Hey! You don't just get to walk away!" 

He heard Jean open the door, and he was about to turn to face him when blinding pain exploded through his entire body, and everything went black. 

Eren woke up on the ground, groaning. Armin was sitting beside him, looking down worriedly. 

"Are you okay?" He asked. 

Eren frowned. "What happened?" He winced, feeling remnants of the sudden pain that had overtaken him. 

"Well..." Armin glanced away, Eren following his gaze to see Mikasa yelling at Jean a few meters away. "When you left the dining hall, Jean got more angry, and followed you out. I got out here in time to see him punch you in the back of the neck," 

"That was a dirty move!" Mikasa was saying, glaring fiercely at Jean. 

"I didn't expect him to pass out! It wasn't even that hard!" 

Groaning, Eren stood up, and immediately stumbled, Armin needing to hold him upright. His head felt like it was being split open, and his vision was swimming. 

"Eren? Are you okay?" Mikasa asked urgently. 

"Y-yeah... I'm fine," he mumbled, rubbing the back on his neck, the source of the mysterious pain. "I'm- I'm just gonna head to the barracks," He pointedly ignored Jean staring dumbly after him, and waved off Mikasa as she threatened to murder Jean. 

Armin walked with him to the barracks, still holding his arm. The second he reached his bunk, Eren collapsed onto it, closing his eyes tightly. 

"Eren you can't sleep in your gear," Armin reprimanded him, fond exasperation colouring his tone. 

"Mhm... watch me," He mumbled, but sat up and took his gear off after a few seconds of silence. 

After changing, Eren went back to his bunk, once again falling into it. The barracks were silent, no one having left the dining hall yet. Sighing, he rolled over, tracing the place on his knuckles where his skin had been torn. The blood had mostly flaked off by now, though he was too tired to wash the rest off. 

Every now and then, small shivers racked his body, the remnants of the mystery pain tingling as it reached even his fingertips. Why had it hurt so much? _And why's it still affecting me now?_ He wondered. Armin said that Jean had punched him in the back of his neck...

 _Wait_. 

Eren sat bolt upright. Jean had hit him in the back of his neck. His nape. A Titans' single fatal weakness. That meant... _I'm more like them than I thought._ He brought his had up, rubbing idly at the back of his neck. Did that mean he could only die from having his nape injured? Would his healing abilities work on his nape? 

His mind was swirling was thousands of unanswered questions, but only one clear, concise thought echoed louder than the rest. 

_If I'm already more like the Titans than I originally thought, just how alike are we?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Catch me shamelessly ripping off young and a menace by Bledynm and the injury conundrum, by ChocolateMilkAndRegrets lol. But seriously, they're both fantastic fics and i 100% recommend them to you if you like this. (I didn't actually realize i was ripping them off until i was halfway through editing this chapter and read them)  
> The next chapter will probably have a bit of a time skip, about a few months or so? Eren will have started experimenting with his healing abilities, and Armin and Mikasa will get more and more suspicious.  
> Message me on instagram @demonic_crocs, or leave a comment, the literally mean the world to me, even if I don't always reply.


	3. Experiment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After seven months, Eren had discovered a lot about his abilities, though Armin and Mikasa become suspicious. It turns out that Eren is even more like a Titan than he'd suspected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update?? Within two days???  
> More likely than you'd believe.  
> In all seriousness, the longer a chapter is, the longer it'll take. The next one might take a little bit since it's probably the longest yet.  
> Hope you enjoy!!  
> -  
> Warnings: self harm(only to test his healing abilities but still!), small scale amputation, and mentions of suicide(eren basically says that he doesn't care if he dies), and a graphic description of stabbing yourself

Eren scowled as he picked up his shirt, seeing the bloodstains he'd accidentally left on it. One of the downsides of privately experimenting with his healing abilities was that blood got everywhere. He'd needed to get rid of two shirts and a pair of pants after the blood had refused to leave the cloth. 

Sighing, he set the shirt off to the side, and resumed watching his skin knit itself back together. He was on test number 10 now, after he began experimenting seven months ago, where he was testing to see how long it would take to heal a cut that reached the bone. The pocket watch that he'd borrowed (stolen) from Marco showed that only fifteen minutes had passed since he'd made the cut, and it was already mostly healed. 

After the first few tests, he'd began the theory that the more life-threatening an injury was, the faster it would heal. The exact speed varied depending on how far away it was from his heart, if he'd cut an artery, how tired he was, and how much blood loss there had been. 

After he'd discovered his healing abilities and obtained any items he'd need, he had instantly tried to sneak away on more than one occasion and had been thwarted every single time by either Mikasa or Armin interrupting him. They'd both claimed that they were just concerned about him after he'd gone missing for a few hours, but as time went on, the excuse's validity wavered. 

The first time he'd been able to finally get away was a month later. After training, Sasha had unintentionally distracted Mikasa, who'd been keeping a stern eye on him, and he'd bolted. He ran into the forest where he'd first discovered his abilities, and got right to work. 

The first test had been disastrous. As had the second. Mostly because Eren still didn't know exactly what he was doing, and his paranoia over being discovered had taken over. 

He'd wanted to see if he could heal from an amputation. In class, their instructor had told them that one of that main reasons a scout would get caught, or would no longer be able to serve, was the loss of a limb. Obviously, he wouldn't just chop his leg off, he'd have to go for something smaller. 

_Fingers are out,_ He tapped his chin thoughtfully. _I need them to use the ODM gear. Toes, on the other hand..._

He'd sat down by a small pond, and pulled his boots off and jacket off. He pulled out the pocket watch, a notebook he'd asked Armin for, and the sharpest knife he'd been able to smuggle out of the kitchen. 

His stomach had been churning with anxiety by the time he'd wadded up his jacket and shoved it in his mouth so he wouldn't scream. Slowly, he readied the blade over his pinkie toe, and took a deep breath. 

_This is necessary,_ He repeated to himself. _I have to find out what I can do. It's only pain._

Before he could convince himself otherwise, he pressed down with the knife.   
In the end, the experiment had finished with blood all over his pants, his toe at the bottom of the pond, and lots and lots of steam. It'd taken an hour and a half to heal. 

He didn't test amputations anymore.   
The second test had been much more tame, in theory. He'd planned on making a small cut on his thigh, just to see how fast a small injury could heal. 

Instead, he heard an animal step on a stick, and mistaken it for a person catching him, and the 'small cut' turned into 'cutting into a major artery'. It had taken only fifteen minutes to heal, but Eren made sure that he was far more careful in the future. 

After the first two tests, he’d made sure to start small, with the third test consisting of making numerous smaller cuts in several places, seeing how long it would take to heal multiple wounds. It had been in that test that he’d begun to form his theory. The rest of the tests had varied from broken bones, to eating a poisonous mushroom, to giving himself bruises all over his body. He’d rapidly improved his abilities to sneak away, and no longer hesitated to cause himself pain. 

Eren stood up, checking the pocket watch. Twenty-five minutes, and he was completely healed. He was still slightly dizzy from the amount of blood he’d lost, but ignored it in favour of jotting down the results in the notebook he had. He set the notebook down to wash out his still-bloodstained shirt, and smiled to himself. With how much he now knew about his healing abilities, he would be able to be of much more help when he graduated, and joined the Scouting Legion. 

All he needed to do now was hide his abilities until then. 

***

“Where is he?” Mikasa asked Armin, glancing around the empty field worriedly. “It’s been almost an hour since he left,”

Armin shrugged helplessly. Ever since Eren had vanished for four hours during the training exercise seven months ago, he’d been acting distinctly… off. He was more distracted, more quiet. He didn’t even respond to Jean as much anymore, and he hadn’t blown up at a random cadet about the Titans for almost a week. Not to mention that he disappeared every once in a while, after training was finished, and wouldn’t return until the sun was down. 

Needless to say, Armin was concerned. 

He remembered the first time he’d really _noticed_ that Eren was different, almost a month after he’d vanished for the first time. He’d tried to head into the woods several times before, but this had been the first time he’d properly succeeded. 

“Have you seen Eren?” Mikasa had asked him, concern evident. 

Armin had frowned. “Not for a while, why?” 

“No one has seen him for the past hour and a half. After training ended, Sasha distracted me, and he slipped away. I haven’t seen him since,” She explained, tugging at her scarf. “I’m getting worried,” She’d admitted quietly, looking away. 

Armin reached out and grasped Mikasa’s hand tightly. “We’ll find him,” He said.

They’d looked for him for an hour, with no luck. No one knew where he was. They looked everywhere, their concern increasing every time someone said they hadn’t seen him. But then, just as the sun was setting, Eren had emerged from the forest, looking more exhausted than they’d seen him in years. The last time they’d seen him like that had been when they were starving and half-frozen in Trost, just after Armin’s grandfather had left. 

“Eren!” Mikasa had cried, running towards him. “Are you all right? Where were you?” She grasped his hands tightly. 

“I’m fine, Mikasa,” Eren’s tone lacked its usual bite that it held whenever Mikasa asked if he was okay. “I just went for a walk and lost track of time.” 

_He’s lying,_ Armin thought, glancing at his bright-red ears. _Why would he need to lie?_

“Are you sure?” Mikasa obviously didn’t buy it either. “You look exhausted,” 

“I’m _fine,_ ” He snapped, and the usual fire that burned within his eyes returned as he scowled at Mikasa. Armin almost relaxed at his usual anger until he saw the blood. 

There had been blood on the collar of Eren’s sleeve, only a small amount, but enough to draw suspicion. Armin hadn’t known what to think of it at the time, but as the months went on, and Eren disappeared more and more frequently, he began to wonder. Every time Eren went into the woods, he returned with blood on his clothes. There was only ever small amounts of it on his jacket, or his shirt, but it always was gone by the next morning, giving Armin the feeling that Eren had either forgotten about it, or he didn’t know it was there when he first returned. 

After the third time it happened, he told Mikasa. “There was blood on his clothes,” He’d whispered that night. “There has been every time so far.”

“There was? Is he injured?” She’d asked, frowning. 

“I don’t know. I thought it was a coincidence at first.”

“What do you think it is?”

“I don’t know for sure,” He’d confessed quietly. “But I think he might be hurting himself.”

“ _What?_ ” Mikasa sat bolt upright, her piercing gaze meeting his. “Why would he do that?”

Armin looked away. “After Wall Maria fell, he’s been different, and… seeing his mother get… you know, killed, and his father still hasn’t come looking for him, it might’ve taken a toll on him over time. Not to mention Trost wasn’t exactly the best place to live…” 

Mikasa listened intently, worry and concern etched into her expression. “So, what do we do?” She asked quietly after a pause. “I don’t… after my parents died, he helped me. I want to be able to help him too.” She fidgeted with her scarf. 

Armin nodded. “Me too. But… we can’t confront him outright. He’d only get angry, and then he won’t listen to us. We should just keep an eye on him for now, and once we figure out what to do, then we can talk to him.” He hated that he couldn’t do anything, but there was nothing he could think of that they could do.

Mikasa had nodded reluctantly. “Okay,” She agreed. “But if it gets worse, we have to talk to him immediately.”

Armin shook his head slightly to pull himself out of his memories. He sighed, gazing out at the forest, looking to see if Eren had come back yet. It had been four months since he and Mikasa had that conversation, and still, they hadn’t done anything yet. 

“The next time he disappears, we’re going to go after him,” He said to Mikasa. “We’ll split up to cover more ground, but we’ll still go after him.” 

Mikasa nodded, a slight smile on her face. Finally, they had a plan. 

***

The next time Eren could get away was only a week later. 

Usually, he waited for a little while longer, but he was anxious to experiment more, to see what else he could do. The second training had ended, he slipped away, heading into the forest. When he reached his usual spot, he headed over to the bush that hid the knife, notebook, and pocket watch, taking them out. 

Earlier that day, they’d been practicing hand-to-hand training, and Annie had almost stabbed him with the fake knife, which made him curious to see if he could heal from a real stab wound. The question had persisted within his mind for the rest of the day, until he decided to test it out. 

_ I need to see if I could survive this if the situation calls for it,  _ He thought determinedly, taking his shirt off and readying the knife. He took a deep breath, before bringing it down. 

The pain was excruciating, but he willed himself not to scream, gritting his teeth as he forced himself to continue.  _ I have to do this,  _ He reminded himself.  _ So I can save people. No one will have to die anymore.  _ He looked down, realizing that the knife was now hilt-deep in his stomach. Squeezing his eyes shut, he quickly pulled it out, gasping as he felt blood pour out of the wound.  _ Don’t scream,  _ He thought.  _ Don’t scream.  _

Just as he finished his thought, a bolt of golden lightning crashed down onto him, and everything went dark. 

***

Armin nodded at Mikasa as they entered the forest. The second they noticed Eren was missing, they’d gone out to the woods. 

“We’ll find him,” Armin heard Mikasa mutter to herself, before the two of them turned to go in opposite directions. 

Armin sighed, stopping every few minutes to see if he could hear anything. He and Mikasa had agreed to meet back at the camp when the sun went down, and if neither of them had found Eren, they’d continue together. 

Suddenly, he heard a loud noise, and looked up to see a bolt of lightning strike somewhere near him. Curiosity overtook him as he began walking towards where it’d landed.  _ Who knows, maybe Eren will be there,  _ He thought.

***

Eren opened his eyes to see that he was several meters off the ground. Panicking, he looked around wildly, but it felt  _ wrong,  _ like his body was suddenly both bigger and lighter at the same time. He reached up to put his hand on his forehead, and froze. 

_ No.  _

_ He was one of  _ them. 

He inhaled sharply, looking down at himself. He was a  _ Titan.  _ His body was  _ huge,  _ he had to be at least fourteen meters tall.  _ That explains why I’m so high up,  _ He thought dazedly. It felt surreal to see himself like this. Just from what he could get a glimpse of, he didn’t look like any other titan he’d seen before. He was insanely muscled, he could see that from a mile away, and when he turned his head, he could feel his hair brushing against his shoulders. He reached up to touch his face, and realized he could feel his exposed teeth. 

Yeah, definitely not like any other Titan he’d seen or heard about. 

Slowly, he took a step forwards, and instantly regretted it when it sent shockwaves through the ground. Reaching up, he braced himself against a tree, running a hand through his hair. Being like this felt… distinctly off. Sort of like he was dreaming. His control of his body felt oddly fluid, but like he was walking against the wind at the same time, and his eyesight was  _ terrible.  _ He could barely see beyond the pond. 

Before he could think better of it, he pinched himself, just to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. He felt the pain, but it was almost… numbed? He could still feel it, but not to its fullest extent. 

His knees buckled as the reality of the situation fully set in. He was in a  _ Titan’s body.  _ He could  _ transform into a fucking Titan.  _ This was so much more than just healing. He was exactly like one of them, so much that it hurt. There were almost no differences between him and the Titans now.  _ He was exactly like the monsters that had eaten his mother. _ ****

**_He was a monster._ **

_ No,  _ He reminded himself before he could begin to spiral.  _ I’m different. I want to help humanity, not eat it. I’m still human.  _

_ I can still help humanity.  _

His mind began to race as he thought of the possibilities. He could kill Titans far more easily in this form! He could help protect people, even more than he could just with his healing abilities. Hell, he could even help them seal the wall!

_ If they don’t kill me first.  _ His elation came crashing down with a single thought. No matter how he spun it, no one would ever believe him when he said that he was on their side. He could transform into a  _ Titan,  _ their sworn enemies. No one would even listen to him. They’d kill him, or dissect him in a sick attempt at understanding Titan biology more. 

The only hope he had was to join the Scouting Legion after graduation, and prove to them that he wasn’t a threat to humanity. They were more likely to listen, and actually believe him. As long as they let him help, even a little bit, he didn’t care if they killed him after that. A small part of him whispered that he would deserve it anyways, for being a part of the race that drove humanity to the brink of extinction, that  _ ate his mother,  _ _ that they were so very defenseless against- _

Eren shook himself out of his thoughts. He could think about his future later. Right now, he needed to somehow turn back into a human and  _ leave.  _ Anyone could’ve seen the bolt of lightning, and he didn’t want to be caught. 

_ How do I turn back?  _ He realized with stark clarity, that he didn’t know. Desperately, he tried to think of a way he could go back to normal. Was he going to be stuck like this forever?  _ Could  _ he even turn back into a human?

Panic clouding his mind, he didn’t even realize that he was instinctively ripping through muscle and flesh until he was looking at the back of a Titan’s head, no longer in the Titan’s body. Red muscle was fused into his arms and legs, and he forcefully yanked his hands out of it, gasping at the sudden feeling of cold air against his feverish arms. He pulled his legs out of the Titan body with such force that he tumbled ungracefully down it’s back, landing on the grassy floor. 

Gasping for breath, he stared at the gigantic body of a Titan,  _ his Titan,  _ that was now steaming as it slowly decomposed. His head felt heavy with exhaustion, and he collapsed on the ground, his vision darkening. 

The last thing he saw before he passed out was the utterly  _ shocked  _ look on Armin’s face as he stepped out from behind a tree. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it! Another chapter done!  
> Ohhhh my god, it's SO hard to write what it must feel like inside a titan's body. It's also so hard to properly characterize Mikasa, like, i didn't want her to be TOO openly emotional, but i also didn't want her to seem like an emotionless wall, especially when it comes to Eren. I hope it isn't too OOC for yall  
> Thank you to the people who've commented, seriously, it makes my day, even though my anxiety is like 'oh you wanna reply to these nice people??? Haha jokes on you bitch'  
> Message me on instagram if you want to cry about the new episodes with me, if you want to give feedback, etc!  
> See yall next time


	4. Exposure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Armin finally discovered what Eren has been hiding for all these months, and they come to a reluctant agreement. Mikasa wonders what she's doing wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so i know it probably wasn't winter when Armin's grandfather had to leave, but just pretend it was please lol. I wrote the flashback thing before i remembered that it probably wasn't accurate.  
> I feel so bad for all three of them in this chapter, but well, there's a reason i tagged angst in this fic.  
> Also, just to clarify, this takes place towards the end of their third year of cadet training.  
> Enjoy!!
> 
> Warnings: Brief mentions of homelessness and a bit of actual self harm on eren's part, and a whole lot of references to it.

_It was so cold._

_When Armin’s grandfather left, he left them with barely enough money to pay for lodging, but after a week, the money had all been spent, and now they were on the streets in the dead of winter._

_Armin and Mikasa were shivering, huddled up against Eren, who was somehow still warm. They had decided to conserve body heat for now, hidden away behind some shops. But they were still so_ cold. 

_“What’re we going to do now?” Mikasa asked softly, burrowing her head into her scarf. “We don’t have an adult to take care of us anymore.”_

_“If Eren’s dad-”_

_“He’s not coming for us,” Armin was cut off harshly by Eren, who was glaring at the wall in front of them._

_“But he’s probably still alive, he could-”_

_“No.”_

_Armin looked down, a particularly violent shiver tearing through his body. He wanted to point out that Eren’s father could still come for them, but he knew he was only giving himself false hope. They were on their own now. No one was left to care for them._

_“How do you know?” Mikasa whispered desperately, the little hope that was in her eyes shattering._

_“He would have come by now. And…” Eren trailed off, reaching for the key that hung around his neck, twisting the cold metal around in his fingers. “I don’t know, it’s just a feeling. He’s not coming back.”_

_***_

When Armin decided to see where the lightning landed, he wasn’t sure what he’d expected to see. 

Whatever it was, it wasn’t this. 

He’d headed in the general direction of where he’d seen the lightning, unaware of what was in store for him. He thought it was odd that there had been lightning, in the middle of the day, when there were no clouds around, but it hadn’t occurred to him that _this_ was why. 

There was a Titan in the forest. A gigantic, fifteen-meter-tall Titan with pointed ears, muscular body, and teeth lining it’s cheeks. He wasn’t sure what Titans were exactly supposed to look like, he’d only caught the slightest glimpses of them in Shiganshina, but he was pretty sure this wasn’t it. 

_How did it get here? Why is it just standing there? What’s it doing?_ Armin’s mind was racing at the speed of light. None of this made sense. No Titan had made it past the walls in five years, if there was one in the training camp’s nearby forest, they _surely_ would have known about it. 

Frantically, he hid behind a tree, fear coursing through his veins at the mere sight of the mystery Titan. Slowly, he gathered his courage and peeked out from behind the tree, just in time for the Titan to crash to its knees, staring down at the ground. The large shockwave it sent through the surrounding area caused Armin to stagger for a few seconds, before he steadied himself, looking back at the Titan. 

_I should’ve brought my ODM gear. Just in case._ He berated himself mentally. But then again, how was he supposed to know that he’d find an actual goddamned _Titan,_ right in the middle of _Wall fucking Rose._

The Titan was still for a few minutes, causing Armin’s already overloaded brain to kick into overdrive. Was it an Abnormal? Why was it just sitting there? All of his questions had no answer he could think of, much to his mounting frustration. 

Suddenly, the Titan shifted, and a burst of steam erupted from the back of its neck. Shocked, Armin took a step away from the tree to get a closer look. The steam cleared for a split second, and there, connected to the Titan’s nape with red muscle, was Eren. 

“...Armin?” Eren asked with a bewildered expression on his face. 

Then, his eyes closed and he slumped over, passed out.

***

_ “Dad, what’re you doing?!” _

_ “Promise me, Eren, you’ll make it to the basement!” _

_ “Stop it! What are you talking about?!” _

_ “Hold  _ still _! Remember the basement! You have the key!” _

_ “You’re crazy! Leave us alone!  _ Stop it!”

_ “Eren, my son, I am so sorry. I know you won’t forgive me for leaving you, but this is necessary.” _

_ “Stop it, Dad, please!” _

_ “You won’t remember this, but I need you to know, what you are about to do to me isn’t your fault.  _ It’s mine.”

***

Eren woke up slowly, snippets of reality coming to him in gentle waves. He opened his eyes, blinking at the brightness of the sunset that he could see through the trees. What happened? Where was he? And why was he so tired?

Then, the memories hit him, slamming into him like bricks as he sat bolt upright. He was a  _ Titan.  _ A bloodthirsty monster that only knew how to  _ eat,  _ and  _ kill,  _ and  _ rip apart.  _ He was one of them, and-

“Eren, calm down,” Armin’s voice cut through the fog in his mind, grounding him as he returned to reality. 

“Armin?” Eren froze. Armin saw. Armin had seen him come out of his Titan body, he  _ knew.  _

“Are you okay?” The blond asked, worry shining in his eyes. Why was he asking if  _ Eren  _ was all right, especially after he’d  _ seen  _ what he was? 

When Eren didn’t reply, Armin sighed and changed tactics. “What did I see?” He met Eren’s eyes evenly, curiosity evident. 

“Armin, I- I don’t-” Eren took a deep, shuddering breath. “I didn’t even know I could do that until today.”

“What did you  _ do,  _ though?” Ah, there was the slight bit of agitation Eren had expected. Armin had been reacting surprisingly well so far, he should have known it was just an act. 

“I don’t know, exactly,” He paused, gathering his thoughts. If he told Armin the whole truth, what would happen? Armin would likely see the value in a Titan that was on humanity’s side, but his view on Eren himself was probably going to change. He might be scared, or not even want to interact with Eren, but he wouldn’t demand he was executed, he was far too intelligent to waste the potential opportunity Eren’s abilities held. 

“I can transform into a Titan,” There, he said it. “And I can heal like one too.” 

Armin was silent for a few moments, before frowning, and asking a single question. “How?” 

Eren shrugged helplessly. “I have no idea. I wish I did,” 

“When did you find out?” This question was asked quietly, and Armin looked away, fiddling with the cuffs of his jacket. 

“Seven months ago,”

“When you disappeared for three hours,” He connected the dots. 

“Yeah,” Eren said quietly, clenching his fists. “I broke my arm, and it healed. That's the first time I noticed it.” 

“You just- heal? What do you mean?” Armin asked, confusion written all over his face. 

Silently, Eren picked up the knife that now lay on the ground beside Armin. Before Armin could say anything, he slashed at his wrist, letting the blood fall freely. Soon enough, steam began rising from the wound, as the skin mended itself. Both of them watched in silence, Eren unfazed, compared to Armin who looked a combination of shocked, nauseous, and awed. 

“So is that what you were doing when you vanished all those times? Transforming into a Titan?” 

Eren shook his head. “No, I didn't know I could actually transform into one until today. I was… testing my healing abilities,” He didn't elaborate, but he watched Armin pale rapidly. 

“Y-you were… hurting yourself to  _ experiment with your healing abilities?” _ He asked incredulously. “Why would you- why did you feel the need to test them?!” 

Eren shrunk back for a split second, not used to his friend raising his voice. “I  _ had  _ to! Don't you get it? If I can heal from anything, or if I can transform,  _ no one needs to die! _ The Scouts could use the Titan as a weapon!” He protested. 

“That's not the  _ point!”  _ Armin stared at Eren, hurt and confusion swirling in his blue eyes. “You  _ hurt  _ yourself. You shouldn't  _ have  _ to be a weapon, you shouldn't  _ have  _ to feel like you need to hurt yourself just to satisfy your martyr complex!” 

“I do  _ not-”  _

Armin silenced him with a glare. “You can't dehumanize yourself like that. It hurts yourself, me and Mikasa. It's not good for anyone.” 

Eren flinched at the mention of hurting Armin and Mikasa. All he wanted was to protect them, to keep them  _ safe.  _ They couldn't do that in a world like this, so any opportunity to change it, he would take without question. “I'm sorry,” He whispered softly, looking down at his hands. “I never wanted to hurt you guys.” 

He had been too caught up in his own anger and ambition to kill the Titans and change the world, that he'd blinded himself to his friends’ pain. He would never give up his dream, but he could at least try to be a better friend while doing it. 

“It's okay, just don't do it again,” Armin’s voice was more gentle now, but still firm. 

“You can't tell anyone,” Eren said, looking up to meet Armin’s eyes. “Not even Mikasa.”

“Why not? She deserves to know,” Armin protested. 

“But it's already bad enough that you know! If anyone finds out about my abilities before I tell anyone, they could kill you,” 

“We’re your friends, we would both do that for you. And all we have to do to avoid that situation is to be careful.”

Eren sighed. Mikasa did deserve to know, she would be hurt and angry if they kept her in the dark about Eren’s abilities forever. “I’ll tell her after graduation. That's only a few months away.” He was reluctant to involve her, for her own safety, but Armin was already tangled up in his mess, and they both knew she wouldn't hesitate to do anything for them.

“Okay,” Armin stood, extending a hand. Eren grabbed it, staggering from the sudden headache he had. Transforming really took something out of him, just like healing. 

“Lets head back to camp,” 

***

Mikasa waited by the edge of the woods anxiously. It was sundown, and neither Armin, nor Eren had come back yet, and she was starting to get worried. 

Eren’s increasingly odd behaviour over the past few months had made her concern for him spike drastically, especially after Armin had confided his suspicions with her. 

She hoped he wasn't hurting himself. 

She knew Eren didn't like it when she acted concerned for him, knew that he found it stifling, but she couldn't  _ stop  _ herself from worrying constantly. Eren and Armin were all she had left of her home, her family. 

She couldn't lose them too. 

But recently, Eren had been drifting farther and farther away from her and Armin, isolating himself from the whole camp, but especially the two of them. 

Was it something she did? Said? Had she been at fault, even partially, for anything negative that Eren experienced? She knew that the day they met had affected him more than he let on, it affected her too. Was she only a reminder of the trauma he wanted to escape? 

_ What am I doing wrong?  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im so sorry Mikasa :( don't worry, they'll tell her soon.  
> The next chapter will feature the trost incident, and some more delightful angst. Get ready, guys. It's gonna get real dark real fast. Well, more than it kind of already is ig?  
> Also, i forgot to mention, the pairings, mainly the eren/armin is gonna be pretty minor. I have no idea how to write romance, but this fic focuses more on the familial love between the main trio. I'll probably only make references to the krista/ymir stuff but still. I don't think i'll be shipping Levi with anyone in this tho, maybe some minor hinting at either him and hanji or erwin, idk. No levi/eren stuff tho lol  
> Leave a comment if you want, they literally give me life-


	5. Front Lines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Colossal Titan appears, Trost is breached, and Eren saves Armin, but gets eaten in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand we've reached the Trost arc!  
> Happy valentines day guys!!  
> Hope y'all enjoy!!  
> -  
> Warnings: Titans. Everything that includes. Being eaten, blood, loss of limb, and some character death.

Eren stood atop Wall Rose, gazing out at the empty fields on the other side. 

It had been two months since Armin had found out his secret. Two months of Armin covering for Eren whenever he’d get hurt, knowing glances, and the constant worry of discovery. It wasn’t like they could talk about Eren’s abilities in front of everyone, and people were already noticing Eren going missing, neither of them wanted to even think about the rumours that would spread if both of them disappeared into the forest for hours at a time.

They’d taken to having short, hushed conversations after nightfall, sneaking out of the barracks to talk somewhere safe. They’d had a couple of close calls, Reiner almost walking in on them discussing how Eren got his abilities, and Jean asking where the two of them went one night. They’d gotten a few knowing smiles after that, and they refrained from sneaking out for too long from then on. 

The hardest part of keeping the secret was Mikasa. Armin told him about their suspicions, and although they weren’t exactly wrong, he hadn’t been doing it for the reason they thought. Armin talked to Mikasa, telling her that he found Eren, and that he hadn’t seen any signs of self harm. It didn’t stop Mikasa from believing it, and while Eren was a bit annoyed that it was harder to hide it, it did feel comforting that she cared that much. He knew keeping her in the dark wouldn’t last, she was smart enough to figure out that something was up. It hurt her, to know that both Eren and Armin weren’t telling her what was happening, he saw it written all over her face every time he deflected her questions. It felt wrong to keep it from Mikasa, especially when Armin knew. But, his anxiety over her reaction kept him from saying anything just yet. 

He would tell her soon, he promised himself. Within the day, hopefully. He’d told Armin that he would tell Mikasa after graduation, and Armin would definitely hold him to that promise. I’ll tell her tonight, He thought, glancing back at his comrades, who were gathering excitedly around Sasha, who’d brought smuggled a slab of meat up the Wall with her. But Armin has to be with me, and it has to be completely private. No one can overhear us. 

Then, his thoughts were interrupted by a sudden flash of gold lightning, and the appearance of the Colossal Titan, and the rest of his day went to hell.

***

Eren still couldn’t believe he’d missed it. It had been right in front of him, and yet he’d somehow missed it! 

And that wasn’t even half of it. The Colossal Titan had intelligence. Eren saw it in its eyes when it looked down at him and smashed the cannons to bits. 

It was like him. 

Someone was inside it, controlling it. Someone else was like him, transforming into a Titan body to bend to their will. And they were using it to break down the walls. 

When they had their orders, Eren made a beeline for Armin, who was trembling harshly, trying desperately to fill up his gas tanks. 

“Armin, calm down,” He said quietly, placing a hand on the blonds’ back to steady him. 

“It’s only a matter of time until the Armoured Titan shows up. The Titans will overrun the city, and hundreds will die, and-“ Armin continued, staring unblinkingly at the wall ahead of him. 

“Armin,” Eren said firmly. “Breathe. We can fight them, we spent three years training, we can’t let it go to waste.” 

Armin took in a shuddering breath, and Eren grasped his hand tightly. “Okay,” He said, nodding. “Okay.” 

“Eren?” Mikasa called from behind them. “I’m being sent into the elite squad, but… if something goes wrong... come and find me. Both of you,” She met their eyes, pleading silently. 

Eren almost snapped at her, but exerted all of his self control into stopping himself from lashing out. She’s not looking down on me, He reminded himself. She’s just worried. “Nothing is going to go wrong,” He forced himself to smile, despite the dread that was settling into his bones. 

He stood up, reaching down to help Armin, when Jean slammed into him, breathing heavily. “Jean?! What the hell?” He hissed, before realizing that Jean was a mess, shaking uncontrollably, tears in his eyes. 

“We’re all going to die!” He whisper-shouted. “We’re done for! The Titans are going to eat every single one of us. I was so close to getting away…” 

Eren looked around, seeing the absolute disaster that was the other cadets. Krista was helping someone who’d thrown up, people were huddling in the corner, and quite a few people were eyeing the stack of guns nearby. They were all terrified… not that Eren wasn’t too, but he was far too angry to properly feel any other emotion. 

“Shut the hell up!” He shoved Jean into a pillar, glaring up at him. “What are you doing?! We’ve been training for this! We know how to kill those Titans, we know what we’re up against now! Hell, you can go join the MP’s tomorrow, I don’t give a shit, but right now you need to focus!” 

Slowly, Jean seemed to come to his senses. “Yeah. Yeah, we need to kill those bastards.” He muttered to himself, before throwing Eren’s hand off of him and stomping off. 

Eren turned back to Armin and Mikasa. “Armin, I need to-“ He glanced at Mikasa, before deciding that it didn’t matter, Mikasa would’ve found out anyways. “The Colossal and Armoured Titans, they’re like me.” He said urgently. 

Mikasa frowned, glancing at Armin. “What’s he-“ She cut herself off when she saw his expression. 

“I suspected, but… are you sure?” Armin looked up at Eren, fear in his eyes. 

“Absolutely.” 

Armin was silent, Mikasa giving them both confused and concerned looks. Eren grimaced. “Mikasa, I-”

“Come on, cadets! Get moving!” 

“Eren?” She stepped forward, reaching out to put a hand on his arm. 

“I'll tell you later,” He glanced at Armin, who nodded. Mikasa hesitated, but conceded, and walked away with one more worried look.

Somehow it felt like he was sealing his fate, as he watched her leave. 

***

Why is the world so cruel? Armin wondered dazedly, as he watched Thomas get eaten. Why?

Thomas whimpered, and the Titan bit down with a sickening crack, splattering blood everywhere. Armin inhaled sharply, eyes wide. 

“You filthy piece of shit!” Eren screamed, charging forwards, blades readied. He practically flew towards the Titan that'd eaten Thomas, a blur of silver, brown and green. 

Armin watched in frozen horror, as Eren jerked up at the last second, the Titan that had been hidden behind a building jumping up to bite off his foot at the ankle. Eren slammed into the nearby rooftop, going still as he came to a halt. Logically, Armin know that Eren could heal from the injury, but his mind wasn't operating on logic, only seeing his best friend that he'd known for years, broken and bleeding on a rooftop. He heard the rest of the squad take off, and he felt horror set in as he realized what was about to happen. 

Fifteen seconds later, and the rest of the squad was dead, eaten right in front of him. And he hadn’t done anything but  _ watched  _ as they were devoured, snapped in half, bones crunching before they were swallowed. He felt like throwing up, but couldn’t force himself to move.

He sat there, completely paralyzed by terror as a large Titan with a white beard picked him up by the collar and dangled him over his mouth. Mentally, he was screaming at himself to  _ move,  _ to do  _ anything,  _ but he couldn’t.  _ Oh Walls, they’re all dead, they’re gone, why couldn’t I do anything- _

The Titan dropped him, and suddenly he snapped out of it, screaming and thrashing wildly, grasping at  _ anything  _ that would pull him out of the Titan’s mouth. He couldn’t let himself be eaten, he had to get  _ out,  _ but he was slipping.  __

Something grabbed his arm. Armin looked up wildly, seeing Eren, crouching at the front of the Titan’s mouth, using his blade to hold it’s jaw open. Eren grunted, and  _ pulled  _ him by the arm, throwing him out of the mouth. He landed hard on the shingles, groaning. 

“Armin,” Eren said, and his gaze shot up to meet the clear emerald eyes of the other boy. “If- if I don’t-” He reached for Armin. “Tell Mikasa about my-” He grimaced, looking up at the Titan’s teeth. “If this doesn’t work, make sure you see the ocean for me,” 

Armin stumbled forwards. “Eren, what’re you-” He asked desperately. 

Eren smiled sadly, and let go of his blade, allowing the Titan’s mouth to close. 

“ _ Eren!”  _ Armin screamed in horror as he watched, frozen in fear once more, as his best friend was eaten. 

***

Eren felt guiltier than he ever had in his life as he let go of the blade that was braced against the Titan’s mouth and let himself be swallowed. If this didn’t work, he’d just forced Armin to witness his gruesome death. He knew, the second that he'd pulled Armin out of it's mouth, that there was no way he could make it out alive. The only chance he had, was to transform, and tear it apart from the inside. 

He grimaced when he landed in the Titan’s stomach, the heat and smell overwhelming him briefly. He’d heard that Titan’s didn’t have a digestive system, but he hadn’t given it much thought until now. There were bodies everywhere, floating in the boiling hot red liquid that surrounded them. Pain flared in his ankle, as he moved it, but he could already feel the wound healing itself. He’d have to be quick. 

Over the two months that’d passed since he transformed for the first, and only, time, he’d had plenty of time to wonder about what had triggered the transformation. His first thought had been pain or blood, but he’d never transformed when he’d tested his healing before then, nor when he got hurt during training. Armin and him had talked about it, and after weeks of debating, they came to the conclusion that it was triggered by a combination of pain and a strong goal. He recalled that he’d been thinking particularly hard to be able to help the Scouts right before he transformed, but he’d never actually tested their theory. 

_ Oh well. It’s now or never, I guess.  _

Glancing around once again, he almost threw up at the sight of the mangled corpses that were floating around him, the image burning into his mind, even when he closed his eyes. A combination of terror and anger flooded his brain as he stared vacantly down at the head of a little girl who’s unseeing eyes gazed upwards. 

_ Focus,  _ He told himself harshly, closing his eyes tightly, the pain in his ankle flaring once again.  _ I need to transform. I need to  _ live,  _ kill all of the goddamn Titans and see the ocean. I can’t die here.  _

Then, a bolt of golden lightning streaked down from the sky, and Eren woke up fifteen feet taller, standing over Armin. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So ik this chapter is a bit shorter than some of the others, but I've really been itching to get this one o u t, you know??  
> I'm already working on the next chapter, so expect either a double update, or one by tomorrow!  
> I'm sorry that Mikasa didn't find out in this chapter, by she'll find out soon enough!  
> Comment what you thinks gonna happen next!!


	6. Transformation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikasa receives some bad news, Eren has transformed, and Armin just wants this day to end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo I'm probably going to be updated more frequently during the break here, so Expect more coming soon?  
> Hope you guys enjoy!!  
> -  
> Warnings: being told your loved ones are dead and that scene where the titan that eats Eren explodes from the inside.

Urgency flowed through Mikasa like blood, as she flew past the buildings, desperate to find her fellow cadets. She needed to know if Eren and Armin were okay, she needed to know that they _weren't dead._

They had to survive, Armin was smarter than anyone she knew, and Eren was so determained it was scary. 

The feeling of _not knowing_ if something had happened was worse than anything she'd ever felt in her life, even after her parents died. After they'd been killed, she'd known that she'd be safe with Eren, and Carla and Grisha. They were all she had, and two of them had been taken away five years ago. All she had left of her second family was Eren, and the only friend she had left was Armin. She _couldn't lose them._

She landed on a rooftop with three other cadets, who she immediately recognized as Connie, Krista and Ymir. Ymir had her arm around Krista, blabbering on about how they should get married, but Mikasa didn't think twice before interrupting them. 

"Have you seen Eren and Armin?" She asked urgently. 

Behind her, she heard four people land on the roof, but paid them little attention. 

"Oh... none of us have seen anyone from their squad, I don't think," Connie frowned. 

"I heard that they died," Jean's voice came from behind her. 

" _What?_ " Mikasa whirled around, staring in horror at Jean's guilty face. 

"We ran into Hannah, who said she saw the whole squad's bodies," Reiner said quietly. 

Mikasa could feel her world shattering around her. They _couldn't_ be dead. They weren't dead, they _weren't!_ Eren couldn't die, he was her only family. Armin couldn't be dead too, he was her only friend. They couldn't be gone. 

"We're almost out of gas, but the HQ's crawling with Titans," Annie muttered. 

"And?" Mikasa asked, her voice flat. "I'm strong," She looked up, glaring at every single person on the roof. "Stronger than all of you. And I'm not a coward. I can cut down every single Titan there," Her voice spoke without her permission. 

"That's suicidal! Why would we do that?!" Connie exclaimed. 

"Would you rather wait around for the Titans to pick you off one by one?" She asked coldly. "To give up is to die.The only way to live is to fight." 

She didn't listen to their repsonses, didn't stay to hear their protests. She flew across the city, cutting down every single Titan that crossed her path, uncaring of her dwindling gas supply. 

_Fight._

She couldn't fight anymore. Not without them. 

She found that, as she fell into that alleyway, a Titan only a few meters from her, that she didn't care. Not anymore. 

_There was no point in life if they weren't in it. _

_***_

Armin could move now, but he almost wished he couldn’t.

Eren had been eaten. No, he’d _allowed_ himself to be eaten. He’d known exactly what would happen when he let go of his blade. And he’d _still done it anyways_. 

Why? Why would he willingly let himself be eaten? He’d said something- _if this doesn’t work._ If what didn’t work? What was he trying to-

 _Oh_. 

Armin understood why he’d done it now. He was going to try to transform from inside the Titan. Theoretically, yes, it could work, but… they didn’t know enough about Eren’s abilities to say for sure. What if it failed?

 _See the ocean for me_. 

If what Eren was trying to do failed, those would be his last words. 

The bearded Titan in front of him reached out, trying to go for Armin once again, but suddenly stumbled, jerking back. Armin watched, shocked, as the Titan fell to its knees, before its’ back suddenly swelled, like something was trying to push its way out of it. Armin’s heart jumped into his throat with anticipation. Was Eren-

The Titan suddenly exploded from the inside, splattering blood everywhere, as Eren- or Eren’s Titan- emerged from the bloody carcass. He towered over Armin, his long hair falling over his eyes. 

“Eren?” Armin breathed shakily. He’d seen Eren in Titan form before, sure, but he hadn’t been this close. It felt unnerving to see such an intimidating Titan and connect it to Eren. 

Eren looked down at Armin, bright green eyes practically burning a hole through Armin’s head with its intensity. There was no expression on his face, as far as he could tell, but it was still slightly terrifying to be _this close_ to a Titan, and _making eye contact_ with it. But then again, this was _Eren_ , and no matter how angry he was, he would never hurt Armin. 

A large crash echoed from nearby, and Eren’s gaze snapped towards it, breaking the spell. Armin looked in the direction of the noise, spotting a large, ten-meter Titan walking towards them, eyes fixed on Armin. 

A loud roar came from Eren, and, faster than Armin could blink, the Titan was on the ground, Eren standing over it, slamming his heel into its nape. 

Armin gaped up at Eren, his mind kicking into overdrive. He know Eren was powerful in his Titan form, but he hadn’t expected how easy it would be for him to kill a Titan. 

Eren stopped stomping on the now-dead Titan, and glanced back at Armin, cocking his head as if confused. Armin almost wanted to laugh, it was such an odd thing for a Titan to do. 

“You _can_ understand me in Titan form, right?” Armin asked, just to make sure. Eren nodded. “Okay, we should get moving,” He checked his gas canisters, only to find them extremely low. “I’m low on gas, though,” 

Eren grunted, tapping his shoulder. “Do you want me to go on your shoulder?” Armin suddenly wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. He was asking someone who, by all intents and purposes, looked like a Titan if he could stand on his shoulder. But, Eren nodded, and Armin didn’t exactly have any better options. 

Activating his ODM gear, he pulled himself onto Eren’s shoulder, clinging to his hair to hold himself upright. “We should probably head to somewhere you can get out of your Titan form without being seen,” He suggested, and Eren nodded, beginning to walk around. Armin glanced around, trying to spot a place that was sufficiently hidden. 

Suddenly, he spotted movement in a nearby alley, and he turned to see what was happening. When he realized what he was seeing, however, he almost fell off of Eren’s shoulder. 

Mikasa was down there, in that alley, her blades raised against a Titan that was cornering her. She wasn’t using her ODM gear, and was instead backing farther into the corner of the alley. 

“Eren!” Armin tugged on his hair frantically. “Mikasa’s over there! She’s not using her gear- she might be out.” He pointed in the direction of Mikasa, and Eren turned to see. 

Eren roared once more, breaking into a run. Armin leaped off his shoulder, using his gear to swing into the alley next to Mikasa. 

“Mikasa! What happened?” He cried. 

She gasped, shock and relief in her eyes as she wrapped him in a hug. “Armin?” She asked softly. 

The Titan was getting closer. Armin knew that Eren was coming, but broke the hug and pulled Mikasa further back anyways. 

Suddenly, Eren appeared, slamming a fist into the Titan’s jaw, sending it crashing into a building. It attempted to stand, but Eren reached out and grabbed its nape before it could. Clenching his fist, he ripped a chunk of the Titan’s flesh out, causing the Titan to fall to the ground, steaming. 

“...Armin?” Mikasa whispered, staring up at Eren with awe. “What’s going on?” 

Armin sighed, standing up to face Eren. “This should be safe,” He called. Eren nodded, sinking into a crouch. 

Using his gear, Armin flew up to Eren’s shoulder, where he saw Eren beginning to emerge from the Titan’s body. His face was free, but his arms and legs were still trapped in the muscle of the Titan body. Armin leaned down, and before he could stop himself, he used his blades to cut Eren out of the Titan. 

Eren blinked dazedly, before focusing on Armin, who was still holding him. Hastily, he let go, ignoring his blush. Eren held out a hand, bracing himself against his Titan body’s neck. 

“Is Mikasa okay?” He asked, his voice rough. He coughed a few times, glancing around. 

Armin heard Mikasa’s gear as she landed on the Titan’s shoulder, turning to face her. She looked shocked, but relieved, and she rushed forward to hug Eren, much like she had with Armin. 

“You're both _alive_ ,” She said, almost reverently. “They told me- no one came back from your squad, and I thought-” She had tears in her eyes. 

Eren’s eyes widened in realization, and he wrapped his arms around Mikasa, returning her embrace. Armin placed a hand on her shoulder as she silently sobbed into Eren's shoulder. After a few minutes, she pulled away, but grasped both of their hands, as if to remind herself that they were still there. 

“We should probably get somewhere safer,” Armin said softly, breaking the silence. “We can't stay here for long,” 

“I'm out of gas,” Mikasa said, quickly wiping her tears away. 

“I'm almost out, too,” He admitted, glancing at Eren. 

“I could probably carry Mikasa to a roof. Would you have enough left to make it there?” Eren asked. Armin nodded, standing up. Mikasa stood, and climbed on Eren’s back as he maneuvered himself onto a nearby roof, Armin following. 

“Are either of you going to explain what happened?” Mikasa asked when she was off Eren’s back. 

Armin saw Eren wince, and he chuckled awkwardly. “It's sort of a long story…” 

“Tell me the shorter version then,” she suggested. 

“I can turn into a Titan,” Eren started, looking away. “I found out two and a half years into training, and Armin found out after I accidentally transformed,” He looked up, making eye contact with Mikasa. “I was going to tell you today, but…” he gestured around helplessly. 

“I only found out two months ago,” Armin explained. “Eren made me swear not to tell anyone, though,” 

Mikasa nodded, frowning. Conflicting emotions flashed through her eyes, before she settled on acceptance. “Okay,” she said softly, looking at both of them. “What do we do now?” 

Eren relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief. He'd clearly thought that this would go worse, and Armin had to agree. But, she was taking it better than he thought, and he couldn't complain. 

“What happened before we met up with you?” He asked. 

Mikasa frowned, pulling her scarf up. “I was with the elite squad until we killed an Abnormal that headed towards civilians. I asked if I could find you two, but… when I reached the other cadets, they said-” her voice broke. “They said that you were dead, that the whole squad was. We were all low on gas, but the headquarters are covered in Titans, and I lead everyone toward it anyways. I was… careless, and used all my gas. That Titan cornered me, but… you saved me.” 

Armin pulled her into a hug, feeling awful. If he'd been told that Eren and Mikasa were dead… he would be devastated. He could only imagine how Mikasa had felt. 

When he let her go, Eren reached out, grasping her hand tightly. “We aren't dead, but… you can't give up like that. You have to fight,” he met Mikasa’s eyes, and she nodded. They stayed in silence for a few moments before Armin spoke. 

“Headquarters is covered in Titans, then?” He asked. 

“Yes. There were at least a dozen, none of us would have stood a chance against them.” 

_None of them… but what about Eren?_ “Eren? Would you be able to transform again?” He asked hesitantly. 

Eren paused, frowning. Then he nodded. “Yeah, probably. Why?” 

“I think I have a plan.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another shorter chapter, sorry. A lot more will happen in the next chapter tho!  
> Also I don't remember if Eren keeps his ODM gear after he shifts, but let's just pretend he does ok?  
> Why is it so GODDAMN HARD to write when they're using the ODM gear???  
> Ok and I'm a slut for hurt/comfort, so that's like 90% of this chapter. I'm not sorry.


	7. Saved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Armin's plan is put into action, Eren kills a whole bunch of Titans, and Trost is saved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, this took a little longer than usual, sorry. This is where the chapter's will start to get longer, and more detailed. Expect some plot holes, because i literally can't remember anything about the plot lol. tons of hurt/comfort and family bonding (And possibly some romantic stuff?) planned in the future!  
> hope you enjoy today's chapter!!  
> -  
> Warnings: usual self harm warning for Eren's transformation, suicide, and blood, gore, the usual stuff.

Eren stared at Armin in disbelief. His plan could work, but it was based off of their limited understanding of Eren’s abilities. If he screwed it up… he’d either be dead or exposed. 

“I’ll do it.” Of course, he was doing it anyways. It was _Armin’s_ plan, and as much as he was worried about it not working, Armin’s plans had never failed before. 

“Are you sure, Eren?” Mikasa asked worriedly. “You said you only transformed twice before, right?” 

“Well, if it doesn’t work out, we can cut him out, and retreat to the Wall,” Armin suggested, but he looked worried too. 

“I’ll be fine,” He reassured them, masking his nervousness. “All I have to do is kill a whole bunch of Titans, pick up a giant boulder, and seal the hole in the wall.” He cringed, knowing that his words definitely wouldn’t make Armin or Mikasa feel less horrible.

“That’s a lot to do,” Mikasa deadpanned, scowling. 

“Look, we have to at least try it. People are dying, and if there’s a way to seal the hole, I need to go for it. I can transform at least one more time.” He sighed, glancing behind him, at the faraway headquarters. The place was literally crawling with Titans, but he knew that it would be fairly easy to kill them. 

“If you can’t pick up the boulder, we’ll get you out,” Mikasa conceded, sighing. 

“I’ll at least clear the Titan’s out of the armory,” Eren promised. “You guys should get to safety once you refuel.”

“No. We’re staying with you. If you need help, we’re going to be there.” Mikasa glared at him. 

Eren desperately wanted his friends to get to safety, but he knew there was no convincing them once they made up their minds. The best he could do now was follow the plan, and hopefully not get caught. 

“Mikasa, I can give you what’s left of my gas, you’ll need it more than me,” Armin offered, already switching out the canisters. 

“I’ll give you two mine as well. I won’t need it if everything goes according to plan.” Eren swapped his with Armin’s, and stood up. “Okay…” He took a deep breath, and pulled out one of his blades. 

“Eren, what’re you-” 

Mikasa was cut off by Armin. “That’s how he transformers, we think.” He whispered to her. 

_Focus,_ Eren clenched his fist around the blade, feeling the skin tear open, blood dripping down his palm. _I have to clear all the Titans out of the armory. I have to seal the wall._

_I have to save my friends._

Once again, a bolt of lightning streaked down from the sky and engulfed him in it’s golden glow. He could feel himself rising up, becoming taller as he transformed from a human to a Titan. 

He opened his eyes, unsure of when he closed them, to see Mikasa and Armin staring up at him. Armin was grinning, clearly happy that it’d worked, while Mikasa openly displayed shock and awe on her face. _Right, this is the first time she saw me transform,_ He remembered. 

“Okay, let’s go!” Armin gave him a thumbs up, and with a soft _swish,_ he and Mikasa were gone, flying off to the armory. 

Eren turned to make his way to the armory, breaking into a run as he ran through the empty streets as fast as he could, his footsteps shaking the earth beneath him. He ran past a great deal of Titans, but refrained from killing them, as much as he hated it. He wasn’t sure how long he could maintain this form, and he needed to at least kill all the Titans outside the armory. 

After a few minutes of pure running, he reached the headquarters, and shivered with disgust. There were far more Titans here than he’d originally realized. He saw several cadets trying to get past them, into the building, but almost all of them were failing, ending up in the Titan’s greedy hands, about to be eaten. There were two Titans that were crowded around a hole in the building, shoving their faces into it. 

_There must be too many people inside,_ He thought, his worry for Mikasa and Armin increasing. 

Growling, he lunged forward, slamming a fist into the two, sending them flying. Quickly, he turned to face the rest of the Titans, who were all gradually surrounding him. He’d have to be quick about this; if he was outnumbered, they could easily overpower him. 

He fell into a rhythm of throwing punches and kicking the Titans so brutally, he left a trial of steaming blackened corpses behind him. He was gathering injuries, from the many small bite marks littering his legs, courtesy of the smaller Titans he killed, to his constantly steaming hands, after punching the Titans so hard. 

_Please hurry, Armin and Mikasa,_ He thought, turning to face the crowd of Titans behind him. _I’m not sure how much longer I can do this._

***

When Armin reached the armory, he’d expected it to be a little chaotic. He hadn’t expected _this._

Within seconds of entering the place on Mikasa’s back, he’d been struck by the sheer magnitude of _fear_ that he could practically smell over the already-rotting corpses of the people who succumbed to it. A gun was being passed around, people were praying to any God or Wall that would listen, and the sounds of screaming, crying, and vomiting filled his ears. 

The place was in _shambles,_ and Armin didn’t know what to do about it. Why were they still there? Why hadn’t any of these people refueled, and left? Were they all just too scared to leave, with all the titans outside?

“Jean!” Mikasa called from beside him, and he glanced around to see Jean amidst all the chaos, scowling. He seemed to brighten briefly when he saw Mikasa, and walked over. 

“I thought you were with the elites,” He said by way of greeting. He turned to Armin, raising an eyebrow. “And I thought you were dead. Where’s the suicidal bastard?”

Armin sighed. “He’s fine. What happened here? Why hasn’t anyone left?” 

“You haven’t heard? Titans’ took over the supply room. The supply team were fuckin’ cowards and ran up here to hide,” He explained, distain evident in his tone. 

“So we can’t get the gas?” Mikasa asked, frowning. 

“Nope.”

Armin glanced around, noticing a box of guns in the corner, unnoticed by the rest of the people trapped in the room. He looked down at the blades in his hands, and he began to think. A plan began to slowly form in his mind, and he turned to face Jean. 

“Is there an elevator down to the supply room?”

***

After Armin refueled, he was grabbed by Mikasa, who pulled him outside, onto the rooftop nearby, looking for Eren.

“Where is he?” She asked desperately, her eyes combing the streets. “Do you see him?” 

Armin nodded, staring across the street at the scene before him. There were dozens of blackened, steaming, giant bodies strewn over the roads, each at a varying level of decomposition. Eren was at the end of the trail of bodies, slamming a fist into the neck of a fourteen-meter Titan, the last one around, so far. 

“He’s hurt,” He said blankly, shocked at the sight of Eren’s injuries. His whole body was steaming, his fists practically destroyed, chunks torn out of his legs and arms, and his ribs were showing. He looked horrible, like he was about to collapse any minute. 

“Eren!” Mikasa cried, darting across the rooftops in order to get to Eren, Armin struggling to keep up. She skidded to a halt in front of him, conflicting emotions running across her face. “Are you okay?” 

Eren looked up at her, eyes flitting around in search of any leftover Titans, before settling back on Armin and Mikasa. He grunted, nodding shallowly, but the amounts of steam that were coming off of his body said otherwise. He needed to heal, but they couldn’t cut him out here, they were on borrowed time. Soon, their friends would come out, and would question why they were talking to a Titan, and not killing it. 

_ We need to speed this up.  _ Armin glanced back at the armory, to see if their friends were out yet. No one had emerged. “Do you want us to cut you out?” He asked Eren.

Eren vehemently shook his head, gazing down at Armin with intense determination. His meaning was clear.  _ I can still do this.  _

Armin hesitated, but eventually nodded, exchanging looks with Mikasa. Eren was mostly healed by now, but they’d need to make sure that there would be no Titans in his way when he sealed the wall. “Okay. We’ll tell everyone to not kill you.”

“If anyone tries, I will end them,” Mikasa promised darkly, eyeing her blades. 

Eren snorted, but nodded, and with one last glance in their direction, he ran in the direction of the massive boulder. 

“Armin! Mikasa! What’re you guys doing?” Marco yelled, landing beside them. 

“That Titan was killing it’s own kind. We need to keep an eye on it, we’ve never seen anything like him before.” Armin said. 

“Sure, like that’s believable,” Jean interjected, landing beside Marco. “A Titan’s still a Titan, it’ll kill us once it runs out.”

“Jean-” Marco began but gasped, eyes widening. “Look! What’s it doing?” 

Armin turned, and grinned at the sight before him. Eren had reached the boulder, and had it balanced on his shoulders, as he walked towards the gate. “He’s picking up the boulder! Come on!” He dashed across the rooftops, using his ODM gear to stay off of the streets. 

“What’re we supposed to do?” Jean yelled, following him on an adjacent roof. “We don’t even know what it’s doing!” 

“Protect it! It’s going to seal the wall!” Armin shouted. 

Mikasa swung in front of him, cleanly slicing through a Titan’s nape as it charged towards Eren. “Kill any Titan that comes near him!” She ordered. 

“But-”

“ _ Do it.”  _ She glared at Jean. 

“Come on, Jean! Armin’s never been wrong before! And it was killing the Titans earlier, maybe it’s on our side!” Marco grinned. 

“Walls, fine, whatever!” Jean griped. 

Armin doged at Titan’s hand, slicing at it’s fingers as Jean cut through it’s nape. He heard the telltale noise of ODM gear from behind him, and he turned to see Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie landing on the rooftop, running alongside them. 

“What’s going on?” Reiner called, frowning up at Eren, who was steadily making his way closer and closer to the gate. “What’s that Titan doing?”

“It has intelligence! It was killing the Titans outside the armory earlier, and we think it’s going to seal the gate!” Marco yelled, grinning. 

“W-what?!” Reiner looked like he was about to choke, and he glanced back at Annie and Bertholdt, who had similar expressions. “For real?” 

“Yeah! We need to clear the way for him!” Armin explained. 

“What makes you think it’s going to help us?” Annie asked cooly, glaring up at Eren. 

“He helped us once, it isn’t too insane to think it might happen again,” Mikasa snapped, glaring at her. 

Armin grinned. They were nearing the gate! Now, they only had a little ways to go before… Armin’s smile suddenly faded. “Guys! The Garrison!” He yelled, glancing up at the people on top of the wall with cannons they’d wheeled in from the other side. He could hear several of them ordering to fire at Eren. 

“Shit! What do we do?” Reiner asked. 

Armin ignored every voice in his head that was screaming that this was a bad idea, and attached a cable to Eren’s arm, pulling himself to stand on it. He held out a hand against Eren’s face to steady himself. 

“What’re you doing?!” He heard Jean shout. 

“Armin!”

“Are you crazy!?”

He ignored everyone’s panicked shouts, and he glanced up at the Garrison, close enough now to see the shock on their faces. He took a deep breath, steeling himself. 

_ “Don’t shoot!”  _ He screamed as loudly as he could at the Garrison, who were all staring at him with varying degrees of shock. He felt his desperation leak into his voice. They were unlikely to shoot in time now though, which was exactly what Armin had wanted.

He realized suddenly, that they were almost at the gate, mere feet away from it. He heard Eren let of a near-deafening roar as he prepared to seal the hole once and for all, and he clung to Eren’s hair desperately, knowing that there wouldn’t be enough time to use his ODM gear to get away. 

Eren moved, and, with a gigantic  _ crash,  _ the boulder hit home, slamming into place against the wall. 

Armin wanted to weep tears of joy as it set in.  _ They’d saved Trost.  _ He used Eren’s hair to pull himself onto his back, using the surrounding steam that Eren was giving off as a cover. Eren was crouching now, and the steam was dense, giving them a good cover.

Armin watched as Eren emerged from the Titan body, still halfway trapped in the red muscles. Quickly, Armin grabbed Eren from under the shoulders, mentally cursing at how  _ hot  _ Eren’s skin was, and helped pull him out of his Titan form. 

“Armin…?” Eren mumbled, blinking up at him. “Did I do it?”

“Yes.” With a jolt, Armin realized that there were markings on Eren’s face now, harsh red lines trailing from his eyes to his cheeks. Hopefully they weren’t permanent, he had no idea how they would explain  _ that.  _

Quickly, before the steam could completely fade away, Armin picked Eren up, and used his ODM gear to get off of Eren’s Titan, and stealthily escape from the watchful eyes of the Garrison, unaware of the one person who witnessed Eren and his departure. 

***

“So I’m not crazy, right?” Reiner asked Bertholdt and Annie. “That was the one we’re here for.”

“Yes, but now we have absolutely  _ no  _ idea who they are, and we may never even see them again,” Annie snapped, crossing her arms. 

“Annie’s right,” Bertholdt admitted. “All we know is that they’re in the military. That narrows it down to hundreds of people if we don’t know which branch.” 

Reiner frowned. “They probably aren’t in the Garrison, at least. If anything, they might be a cadet too.”

“Come on, what’s the chances that the Coordinate is a cadet like us? The Female, Colossal,  _ and  _ Armoured Shifters in the same place as the Founder? That’s insanely unlikely.”

“Yeah, I thought that the Coordinate was most likely with the royal family still.”

“Guys?” Reiner, Annie, and Bertholdt froze. “What’re you talking about? Why’re you talking about the Colossal and Armoured Titans?” Marco stared up at them, eyes wide with fear.  _ “What’s going on?”  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and trost is finally over! (I'm sorry, Marco) I hope you like some of the changes made in it, the canon divergence is only going to get worse from here. I hope everything made sense at the end part? I dont exactly remember how it went in canon so i made it up basically haha  
> Next chapter will feature the aftermath of eren's titan being spotted, and there's going to be a trial! Just not for Eren. Well, mostly. oh and, we're going to finally meet levi, erwin and hanji. yay!  
> I hope the pacing is okay, i feel like im rushing through the arcs a bit. i think the trial and female titan arcs are going to be longer tho so idk  
> Pls comment, it gives me life :)


	8. Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of Trost, Eren remembers, and Armin gets some news that nobody likes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am really really loving the amount of comments on this fic, they're literally making me so happy, and its great.  
> This is technically my last day of the feb break, so i'll try to update as much as i can in the future. I really enjoy writing this, and considering that there's 8 chapters when it's been up for like two weeks is a record for me. Probably because the chapters are so short compared to my other fic, but still!!  
> Hope you enjoy!!  
> -  
> Warnings: Getting arrested and there's a bit of a fight

_ “Eren, remember the key. Remember that you need to return to the basement. All the answers will be there.”  _

_ “What are you talking about?” Eren asked curiously. When his father had shown up, he was overjoyed, but when he’d said that he couldn’t get Mikasa and Armin and taken him  _ here,  _ he didn’t know how to feel. His father had never acted like this before.  _

_ “They key,” Grisha repeated, handing the key that normally hung around his neck to Eren, wrapping it around his hand. “You need to go to the basement. Everything you’ll want to know will be there. Remember that when you think about it.”  _

_ Eren backed up, clutching the key to his chest. He was starting to get scared, he’d never seen his father act like this before. “Dad… what’re you doing?” He asked, fear seeping into his voice. _

_ Grisha ignored him, pulling a syringe out of his pocket. When he looked back up at Eren, there were tears in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Eren,” _

_ *** _

Armin woke up in a cell. 

At first, he was both confused and scared, before he remembered exactly  _ why  _ he was there. 

After Eren had sealed the gate, and they’d made their escape under the cover of the steam, Armin and Eren had hidden within an alleyway. Eren was still unconscious, but the red marks on his face were fading. 

“Eren!” Armin hissed, shaking his friend awake. “You need to wake up!” 

Eren groaned, blinking slowly as he gazed up at Armin. “Sorry, I’m just…” He put a hand to his temple, wincing. 

_ Dammit, we were right.  _ Armin thought, scowling.  _ Transforming once makes him exhausted, what did we think would happen when he did it twice in one day?  _ Eren was leaning heavily on him, even while they were sitting, his face pale and eyes dazed. They needed to get out of here quickly, otherwise Titans would find them.

Armin heard ODM gear behind him, and he turned to face whoever had just landed in the alley, already moving to block Eren from view. Thankfully, it was only Mikasa, who rushed to Eren’s side with a gasp. 

“Is he okay?” She asked desperately. 

Armin nodded. “I think he’s fine, just exhausted.”

“What’re the marks on his face?” 

“I don’t know,” He shrugged helplessly. “They appeared when he came out of his Titan. They were worse before, but they’re fading, so they aren’t permanent, thank the Walls.” 

Mikasa frowned. “We need to hurry. The Scouts showed up just after Eren sealed the Wall.”

“The Scouts?” Armin frowned worriedly.  _ Thank the Walls they only got here after Eren and I left, otherwise we’d both be arrested.  _

“Mikasa?” Eren asked, frowning. He blinked, seeming to return to complete consciousness. “What’s happening?” 

“The Scouts are here, and we need to retreat inside Wall Rose with the rest of the cadets.” Mikasa said bluntly. 

“Do you think you can use your gear?” Armin asked. Eren grimaced but nodded. “Okay, here,” He shared what was left of his gas, sliding the canisters back into place when he was done. 

Mikasa stood, and walked to the end of the alley, glancing out at the main street. “There aren’t any Titans around, I think the Scouts are getting rid of them.” 

Armin stood up, offering a hand to Eren. He took it, stumbling as he straightened. “Are you sure you’ll be able to use the gear?” He asked, just to be sure. 

“I’ll be fine,” Eren waved him off, leaning against the wall to stay upright. 

He wanted to argue that, no, he really shouldn’t be using ODM gear when he was that tired, that someone should carry him, but he knew Eren was far too stubborn to listen to him. Sighing, he nodded, and turned to face Mikasa, who was still by the end of the alley. “Let’s go.” 

As they flew through the city, he kept a close eye on Eren, who was doing surprisingly well, considering how drained he clearly was. He could tell Mikasa was doing the same thing too, glancing back at Eren every few seconds to make sure nothing had happened. 

Eventually, after narrowly avoiding a few Titans, they made it to the other side of the Wall. They noticed most of the other cadets gathered in the area, and sat down on a bench near them. 

Eren slumped down instantly, and as Armin glanced down at him, he realized for the first time how  _ awful  _ Eren looked. He was pale, much more pale than they’d ever seen him before, his eyes darting frantically around, as he reached up and clutched the key around his neck. 

“Eren, are you-”

“I’m  _ fine,”  _ He snapped, cutting Armin off. 

Armin frowned, not believing him for a second. He was very clearly  _ not  _ okay, it was obvious to anyone who looked at him. Suddenly, Eren straightened, and glanced down at the key in his hand, eyes wide. He looked like he’d seen a ghost as he stared at the key in shock. Armin was about to ask what was wrong, when Eren spoke.

“The key…” He said breathlessly. “It’s in the basement…”

Before Armin or Mikasa could ask what he was talking about, someone began shouting their names. He glanced up to see Jean, Connie, and Sasha running towards them. 

“You guys are okay!” Sasha cried, as she skidded to a halt in front of them. “Jean said you were alive, but we couldn’t find you!”

“Yeah, where were you guys?” Connie asked.

“Oh, we…” Quickly Armin thought up a lie. “We were looking for Eren. He returned before us.” 

“Oh yeah, he wasn’t there when that Titan plugged the Wall up,” Jean said. 

“Yeah, Jean keeps telling us about some Titan that actually helped us, but we don’t believe him,” Sasha stage whispered, shrieking when Jean punched her shoulder. 

“It’s true,” Mikasa said. 

“See?!” Jean cried, gesturing to them. “I told you I wasn’t lying! It was insane! It’s dead now though, according to the Scouts,” 

“Wait, really?” Armin already knew that they’d consider Eren’s Titan ‘dead’, but he was curious as to what they thought about it. 

“Yeah, I’m surprised you didn’t know about that since you were the one that  _ rode on its shoulder, _ ” Jean scoffed. “I still can’t believe you did that.” 

“Armin, you  _ what?!”  _ Connie yelled, staring at him incredulously.

Armin shifted sheepishly, seeing Eren glance at him out of the corner of his eye. “Ah, yeah. I may have… stood on its arm to keep the Garrison from shooting it.”

“Jesus Armin, that’s either super badass or super dumb,” Connie said. 

“You actually  _ stood  _ on a Titan?” Sasha stared at him. “You’re crazy.” 

“You’re even more suicidal than Eren!”

“Hey!” Eren glared at Connie. 

“Excuse me,” Someone said, interrupting the impending argument. “Are you Armin Arlert?”

Armin turned to see who’d spoken and froze. It was a tall man, who wore the same military clothing as them, but the crest on his jacket was that of the Military Police. Behind him were four more members, all of them older and intimidating. 

“Yes, why?” He asked cautiously, standing up. Behind him, he heard Mikasa and Eren stand as well.

“You are under arrest. Come with us willingly, and we won’t have to use force.”

Armin gaped at the men, utterly shocked. Why was he under arrest? 

“Hang on,” He heard Eren say. “Why are you arresting him? He hasn’t done anything!"

“On the contrary, he is under arrest for fraternization with the enemy,” The man said, grinning unpleasantly. 

“The enemy? What’re you talking about?” Sasha spoke up, frowning. 

“We’ve spoken to several members of the Garrison, and they all agree that you were seen defending and siding with the Titan that carried the boulder. Now, come with us, or we will have to use force,”

“He’s not going anywhere with you,” Eren snarled, moving in front of him. 

Mikasa moved to stand beside Eren, holding her blades tightly. “None of you will go anywhere near him.”

Armin was frozen again. He was being arrested, he could accept that. But now, his friends were standing between him and the Military Police, defending him. They were going to be arrested too, if they interfered with this! But he couldn’t open his mouth to protest, or move to hold them back.

“We’ll have to use force then,” The man said, and all four of his companions moved forward, towards Mikasa and Eren. 

Both of them were putting up a good fight, Mikasa had knocked a man out, and Eren broke another’s nose, but Eren was exhausted from transforming, and Mikasa, although she was still insanely strong, was obviously tired.

“Stop!” Armin finally found his voice, as he ran forward, pulling Eren and Mikasa back, standing in front of them in an odd reversal of their roles earlier. “I’ll go, keep them out of this,” He gestured at Eren and Mikasa. 

The man chuckled nastily, still grinning. “Sorry kid, but they interfered with an arrest. They’re goin’ with you,” He nodded at the remaining three men that’d come with him. They each walked towards one of them. 

Eren and Mikasa tensed, ready to fight once again, but Armin stopped them with a look, shaking his head at them. Armin let the man in front of him put his hands in chains, glancing back at Eren and Mikasa. They both were in chains now too, and were being forced to walk towards a carriage that would presumably take them to wherever they were going to hold them. 

“Move,” The man who’d bound Armin jabbed him in the side, shoving him towards the carriage. He winced, and walked towards it, glancing back at Jean, Sasha, and Connie, who were standing, frozen in shock. 

As he climbed into the carriage, he glanced at Eren and Mikasa, who both looked like they wanted to punch someone. He met both of their eyes, and shook his head, praying that his message got across. 

They couldn’t fight back against them. They just had to let this play out.

When Armin woke up in his cell alone, he stared up at the ceiling, wondering what would come next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so i know that this one is shorter, but it's setting up for the next chapter, which will be from both Eren and armin's pov, leading up to the trial.  
> I hope it sort of made sense about Armin getting arrested, i sort of just imagined what people's reactions would be is some random 15-year-old kid stood on a titan and was like 'hey dont kill it'. it'll get a bit more in-depth next chapter, but in short, people dont like that a) there's some random titan that helped them then 'died' and b) they dont like that someone actually defended it. Plus the mp's as assholes anyways so like.  
> I hope you guys liked it!!


	9. Questioned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren ponders over his new memories, Armin worries, and we're finally introduced to Levi, Hanji, and Erwin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so,,, I found something out lmao. i write this on google docs, right? I have two main fics currently out, this one now has 9 chapters, and the other 7. This fic only has 43 pages on docs, while the other has... 90. not to mention, the other fic is planned to have 41 chapters or so. i am STRUGGLING.  
> Hope you enjoy!!

“Are you all right?” 

Eren glanced up at Mikasa, from where he was sitting on the ground. The cell they were in currently had a lower ceiling, which meant they could barely stand up straight, leading Mikasa to sit on the rickety bed in the opposite corner.

“I guess,” He muttered, still too tired to muster up his usual anger. After they’d been arrested, Mikasa had insisted that he sleep, but he woke up every few hours, gasping for air, still feeling like the giant boulder was crushing him, or he was still inside that Titan’s stomach. Mikasa had been forced out of her own sleep to calm him down every time, but she hadn’t mentioned it yet.

Absentmindedly, he brought a hand up to the key hanging from his neck, before he realized what he was doing, flinching and dropping the hand like he’d been burned. When Armin pulled him out of his Titan, he’d looked down at the key, and actually  _ looked.  _

And that’s when he remembered. 

His father had done this, his father had been the one to turn him into a  _ monster.  _ All this time, he’d been wondering how he’d become like this, when it’d started, he remembered when he was younger, complaining about how slowly his black eyes and bruises would heal, so he didn’t have his abilities then. He’d thought that maybe he’d been born with his abilities, and something after the fall of Wall Maria had triggered them, but he had been wrong. 

It had been his father all along. 

He remembered it now, vaguely. Whenever he tried to recall it, it felt like a dream he’d had long ago. He’d been on the streets in Trost, when he’d seen his father. He could remember that clearly. But after, things became hazy. He knew that his father had brought him  _ somewhere.  _ He didn’t know where exactly, or how they’d gotten there, only that he’d gone unwillingly, wanting to find Armin and Mikasa first. Then… there were only flashes. A syringe, his father’s grief-stricken face as he emptied it into Eren’s bloodstream, and then the pain he’d felt. But, over all of the snippets of memories he’d pieced together, he could hear his father, begging him to return to the basement. Saying that the answers would be in there. 

If his mind hadn’t been made up before, it was now. He needed to join the Scouts and get to the basement. Whatever answers were there, Eren needed them. It felt  _ important  _ to go there, for some reason. 

Although, he couldn’t go anywhere if he was stuck in this cell. When the Military Police said that Armin was arrested for nothing more than not wanting to kill a Titan, he hadn’t even thought, he just attacked, wanting nothing more than to protect him. It was completely ridiculous that Armin had been arrested in the first place, but, if Armin was being forced into a cell, Eren and Mikasa wouldn’t hesitate to join him. 

“Where do you think he is?” He asked quietly, glancing outside the cell, where two Military Police officers were gambling, laughing loudly as they took gulps of whatever was inside their canteens.

Mikasa looked down, bringing her knees up to her chest. “I don’t know,” She said. “If they hurt him…”

Eren nodded. “I’ll help you murder them,” He finished her sentence, chuckling mirthlessly. 

He scowled, glaring at the officers outside.  _ They better let us see him soon. If not… I could always transform as a last resort.  _ A part of him whispered that he could kill several people if he did that, but he didn’t particularly care.  _ If it keeps my friends safe… they can call me a monster as much as they like.  _

_ *** _

Armin didn’t know how long he’d been in his cell anymore. He’d tried to keep track at first, but after he’d fallen asleep, he’d lost count. 

_ I hope Mikasa and Eren are all right,  _ He thought, frowning. Hopefully, they were together, at least. Hopefully they wouldn’t do anything stupid either. He knew that Eren meant well, but he was a little… impulsive at times, and Mikasa would do anything Eren asked. 

When he’d asked why he was being arrested, they told him that it was due to ‘fraternization with the enemy’. That’d occupied his mind for a while, as he pondered over the possible implications it had. He’d come up with a few theories, but nothing decisive. 

Theory number one: they were scared about word of Eren’s Titan getting out in a positive light, and Armin had loudly supported him, in front of plenty of Garrison officers. They were using his arrest as an excuse to shut him up, and make sure that no one would know that a Titan had somehow helped humanity. 

Theory number two: they thought he could control him. They said that they’d spoken to the Garrison officers that had been on the wall, but they’d likely spoken to the cadets as well. He’d been the one to say that Eren was going to seal the wall originally, and the Military Police might think that he could somehow control the Titan and were worried he would use it on the people within the walls. 

Theory number three: they thought he was in league with the Armored and Colossal Titan. Never mind that Eren had helped  _ save  _ Trost. Still, they knew that a Titan with intelligence had broken down the wall, and a Titan with intelligence had saved it. And now, Armin had  _ stood  _ on the Titan that they likely thought was like the Colossal and Armored. (They were, of course, but not in the way they thought.) 

His third theory was the most likely, though he didn’t know what they were going to do about it. Would they keep him here forever, not even giving him a trial? Would they execute him? And what about Eren and Mikasa, would they befall the same fate as him? 

Suddenly, he heard someone walking towards his cell, well, more than one person. He straightened, sitting up on the small bed that was tucked in the corner. Who was it? Were they just the guards? Who would even visit him, if it wasn’t?

Five people came into view, two of whom were the guards that had brought him to the cell. The other three, he didn’t recognize. One was a tall, blond man with thick eyebrows and sharp cheekbones. Another was a person with glasses, and wild brown hair pulled into a ponytail. The last was a man who was shorter than the rest, who carried himself in a way that reminded Armin suddenly of Mikasa. 

“Armin Arlert,” The blond man said.

Armin nodded, unsure of what he should be saying. 

“Ooh, so this is him, then?” The person with glasses walked closer to the cell, pushing their face between the bars. “He doesn’t look like much, huh. He might be shorter than you, Levi!” 

The short man scoffed, grabbing them by their jacket and pulling them back from the bars. “Shut the fuck up, four-eyes,” He snapped. 

Armin stared at them, confused. He wasn’t sure how to react to the bizarre situation, and simply stayed silent, frowning slightly at them. 

“I am Erwin Smith,” the blond introduced himself and Armin’s eyes widened. “This is Hanji Zoe, and Levi. We’ve come here to discuss your arrest and impending trial.” 

Oh  _ Walls,  _ why were Erwin Smith, the  _ leader of the Scouts, _ Hanji Zoe, who was in charge of the  _ fucking research division, _ and Levi,  _ humanity’s strongest,  _ visiting him in his cell? He was just a cadet, why would they care enough to even  _ talk  _ to him? 

“Can I start?” Hanji asked eagerly. Erwin nodded, and Hanji grinned. “Ok, so. Armin. You were at Trost when the Rogue Titan sealed the wall, right?”

“For fucks’ sake, Hanji, get on with it,” Levi snapped, leaning against the wall. 

“...The Rogue Titan?” Armin asked quietly. 

“Oh! The Titan that sealed the breach. That’s what the papers have taken to calling it!” Hanji explained. “Anyways, you were there. People even said you stood on its head while it carried the boulder!”

Armin frowned. Either the rumors had gotten wildly out of control, or this was some sort of test. If they’d done any research at all, they’d know that he hadn’t actually done that. “Ah, I stood on his shoulder, actually.” He corrected them. If this was a test, he had to be truthful. Lying wouldn’t get him anywhere. 

Hanji paused, eyeing him for a second, before nodding appraisingly. “Do you know why the Military police arrested you?” They asked suddenly, the mood shifting. 

Caught off guard, Armin didn’t know what exactly to say. “They- they told me it was for fraternization with the enemy,”  _ When in doubt, throw their words back at them.  _ He thought. He didn’t know what they wanted him to say: he needed more information first.

“What do you think that means?” It was Erwin who spoke this time. 

Armin shifted uneasily. “I think it means that they think I have some sort of connection to the Titan,” He replied honestly. 

Erwin raised an eyebrow. “And do you?”

“Of course not, sir.”

“What happened after the Rogue Titan sealed the hole?” He asked, changing the subject. 

“I was thrown off of it.” Armin replied shortly.  _ C’mon, think. What are they here for? What do they want to know? _

“So, you didn’t see anyone come out of the Titan?”

_ What.  _ “I’m sorry- come out of the Titan?” Armin asked, his mind moving at the speed of light.  _ How did they know? They steam was too dense, why would they- _

“Yes, according to a report from a Garrison officer, Rico Brzenska, someone emerged from the Titan’s nape, and another helped pull them out before escaping under the steam. Of course, we have no idea of who these two individuals are. Do you know anything of that?” Erwin’s expression was carefully polite, but he gazed at Armin intensely. 

_ Oh, so that’s what they think.  _ Armin thought blankly. They saw Eren come out of his Titan, and now thought Armin was the one who pulled him out.  _ I have to be careful with how I answer this.  _ “No, I didn’t,” He said, composing himself quickly. “I couldn’t see anything through the steam.”

“But after the Titan plugged the wall up, no one knew where the hell you were,” Levi spoke up, glaring at him. “So what happened then?”

“I was looking for my friend.” That  _ had  _ been what he told Sasha, Jean, and Connie, he may as well stick to it. 

“Elaborate, if you could.” Erwin asked politely. 

“Me and my friend, Mikasa, were looking for her brother, Eren. He wasn’t with us when the breach was sealed, and he was supposed to have retreated, so we looked for him for a while.” The lie rolled off his tongue easily, his tone perfectly even as he made eye contact with Erwin. Living in Trost demanded the ability to lie, and after two years of living there, he, Mikasa and Eren had been forced to develop it.

“I apologize, I don’t see what this has to do with my arrest,” Armin pointed out, forcing himself to stay calm and not panic. 

“The Military Police think you were involved in the Rogue Titan’s appearance, and are in league with the Colossal and Armored Titans, to put it bluntly,” Said Erwin. “And the upcoming trial is to determine if you were or not.”

_ So I was right.  _ Armin frowned. “They are aware that the Rogue Titan  _ saved  _ Trost, which goes directly against what the Colossal Titan did,” He said carefully. “And if I  _ was  _ involved in his appearance, I would be against the Colossal and Armored Titans, not in league with them.” 

“You said he,”

“What?” He turned to face Hanji, who’d spoken. 

“You called the Rogue Titan  _ he.  _ Not  _ it,  _ like everyone else did.”

Armin froze, unsure of how to respond to the statement. He’d only seen the ‘Rogue Titan’ as  _ Eren,  _ not a normal animalistic Titan. He’d unconsciously referred to Eren as  _ he  _ because, in his mind, he was talking about Eren, not the Rogue Titan. 

“What are you implying?” He asked finally. 

“Armin, we want to work with you,” Erwin said, pulling up the chair the guards normally sat on. “You were the only one brave enough to stand on the Titan’s shoulder as it saved us. We believe that the Rogue Titan may be hiding amongst the humans behind the Walls. But we do not believe that it holds any malice towards us. The multiple reports say that it killed several of its own kind, and its actions to seal the gate prove that.”

_ I know what you’re doing,  _ Armin thought. They were trying to get him to believe that they were on his side, encouraging him to tell them what they wanted to know.  _ But they seem to be telling the truth about not thinking Eren is on the side of the Colossal and Armored Titans.  _ Maybe he could tell them just enough to keep them from handing him over to the Military Police. 

“We are going to conduct an investigation into the identity of whoever was inside that Titan. We want you to join us. Shadis says you are academically brilliant, we could use someone like you on this. Of course, if you did know anything about the Rogue Titan, or were involved with its appearance, that would give us even more incentive to keep you from being interrogated by the Military Police, and give you an automatic position in Hanji’s research division.” Erwin explained.

Armin knew exactly what Erwin was doing. But he was going to let it happen, work it in his favour. He knew what would happen if the Military Police would ‘interrogate’ him. And, if he played this right, he would get him, Eren, and Mikasa all in the Scouting Legion together. 

“I saw it,” He admitted, omitting the part where he was the one who  _ did  _ it. “I thought I was hallucinating at first. I couldn’t see who it was though, the steam was too dense,” There. They could suspect him as much as they wanted, and it wouldn’t matter. If they suspected him, they would keep him within the custody of the Scouts, which was by far better than the Military Police. 

Erwin nodded. “As we suspected,” 

“Why didn’t you tell us, then? We literally mentioned it earlier!” Hanji said, frowning. 

“I thought I would be suspected as the accomplice.” He replied honestly. 

“Erwin, I need him on my team,” Hanji turned to the taller man, almost pleading. “He stood on the Rogue Titan! He saw the person inside it emerge! He’s got  _ so  _ much information that I could use!” 

That cemented it for Armin. The Scouts were going to fight for custody of him at the trial. Although it wouldn’t be easy to avoid suspicion, it was certainly better than being with the Military Police. But… “What will happen to my friends?” He asked suddenly. 

“Your friends?” Erwin asked. 

“They were arrested with me,” Armin explained hastily, his concern undoing his composure slightly. “What will happen to them?” 

Erwin glanced at Hanji and Levi. “What are their names?” 

“Eren Jeager and Mikasa Ackerman, sir.” 

“They will be brought into the trial as witnesses anyways, but after the trial they will be released, no matter the outcome.” 

Armin breathed a sigh of relief. Eren and Mikasa would be safe no matter what happened to him.  _ At least it’s me who’s arrested and put on trial, I suppose,  _ He thought morbidly.  _ They’re both in the top ten, and Eren’s abilities give him a huge advantage against Titans. It’d be a waste for them to be thrown in jail or executed  _

“Levi and I,” Erwin tipped his head in the direction of Levi. “Will go and question your friends. Hanji, you stay here and get whatever information you need about the Rogue Titan,” 

Armin hoped that Eren and Mikasa would at least tell the same story as him, otherwise they’d be under suspicion too. If this all worked out, they’d be together in the Scouts. 

“Ok, great!” Hanji grinned, whirling back to face Armin, their expression borderline manic. “Now, tell me  _ everything.”  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, the next chapter is the trial. Yay?  
> Most of you guys are saying it makes sense for armin to be arrested, which makes me happy. you guys are so nice!!!  
> Hopefully i portrayed the sort of subtle manipulation Erwin uses, to persuade armin into telling him what he wants to know, and armin catching on, and all of the mindfuckery of it.  
> Btw, if anyone would like to edit or proofread the chapters for either this or my other fic, hit me up on instagram @demonic_crocs, i really need help with some of these lmao. only if yall want to tho, lol.  
> hope yall have a good day, stay safe!!


	10. Accused

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erwin talks to Eren and Mikasa, and the trial finally begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!! Welcome to a new chapter!! we're finally at the goddamn trial!!  
> (Why are trial chapters so HARD to WRITE)  
> Hope you enjoy!!  
> -  
> warnings: mentions of murder, torture and execution.

_"C'mon Armin, you've gotta be joking!" Eren laughed. "There's no way that the salt_ never _runs out!"_

_Armin giggled, shaking his head. "No, I'm telling the truth! The ocean is so big that the salt can't run out!" He waved his hands enthusiastically at the book in his lap. "It says so right here!"_

_"Lemme see!" Eren moved closer, reading the book over his shoulder. His eyes widened as he read the page. "Wow," He breathed. "It's really that big?"_

_Armin nodded. "Yeah, it is!" He glanced around, double checking to make sure that Carla and Grisha were both too far away to hear. "One day, I'm going to see it," He whispered._

_"How?" Eren asked, wide eyed._

_"I don't know, but I'm going to, someday," He looked out the window they were seated by. The sun was setting, bathing the streets of Shiganshina in golden light. The Walls loomed over them in the background, tall and intimidating. "I want to see everything in the book when we get to go outside the Walls,"_

_Eren grinned, and placed his head on Armin's shoulder, leaning against him. "Well we're going to see it together, then!" He said._

_He was too preoccupied with the thought of leaving the Walls, he didn't notice Armin's blush._

_***_

Eren couldn't sit still anymore. 

It'd been too long. The guards wouldn't tell them anything about Armin, only laughing as they begged for information. 

Mikasa was glaring at the wall, clenching and unclenching her fists as she silently fumed. 

Eren was bouncing his knee, looking outside the cell every few seconds, anxiety and fear churning in his gut.

Being separated from Armin like this was nearly _excruciating._ With no news about his wellbeing or whereabouts, both Eren and Mikasa were going crazy. 

Suddenly, footsteps began to echo through the halls, coming closer to their cell. Eren straightened, unable to see who was approaching. Mikasa turned her piercing gaze from the wall to outside the cell, both of them waiting to see who was coming. 

Two men came into view, both of them wearing military jackets with the Scouting Legion’s insignia on them. The taller man, a blond, eyed them for a few seconds before speaking. 

“Mikasa Ackerman and Eren Jaeger, correct?” 

Eren and Mikasa exchanged a look, before Eren nodded. 

“I am Erwin Smith, and this is Levi. We have come to question you about the events at Trost,” Erwin explained, smiling politely. 

Erwin Smith… _Why does that name sound so familiar?_ Eren wondered, before inhaling sharply. _He's the leader of the Scouts! Why is he_ here? 

“What do you mean, ‘the events at Trost’?” Eren asked. 

“Your friend, Armin Arlert, will be given a trial for his arrest, and the both of you will be serving as witnesses,” Erwin said. “We shall be questioning you to ensure that both of your stories line up.” 

“So you already talked to him?” Mikasa asked suddenly, wild hope flaring in her eyes. “He's all right?” 

Erwin looked taken aback for a split second, before he smoothed it over. “Yes, we spoke to him a few minutes ago. He appears to be fine.” 

Eren let out a breath of relief that he didn't know he was holding. He turned to Mikasa, who was equally happy that Armin was okay. She gave him a small smile, squeezing his hand briefly. 

“What questions do you have?” Eren asked, turning back to the two men cautiously. _Just because he's all right now doesn't mean something won't happen at this trial._

“If you could give us a full account of what happened at Trost, for both of you, that would be quite helpful,” Erwin said. 

Mikasa glanced at Eren, and they silently agreed that she should go first. “I was placed with the elite squad,” she began, her voice soft. “After the order for the retreat came out, I went looking for Eren and Armin. I found Armin, who was almost out of gas. He told me that him and Eren were trying to retreat, but he ran out of gas halfway through. I have him some of mine, and… that's when we found the Titan that sealed the gate,” Eren realized that she was telling them mostly the truth, with only a few parts omitted, such as the fact that Eren had actually been the one who shared the gas, and saved Mikasa while in Titan form. “Armin realized he was only killing other Titans, and came up with a plan to use him against the Titans at the armoury. When we got to the armoury, we refueled, and when we got out, the Titan was already carrying the boulder. Armin figured out what he was doing, and we, with some other cadets, protected him from the other Titans as he sealed the Wall.” She finished. 

“And after?” Erwin promoted. 

“We went looking for Eren. We didn't know if he'd made it to the other side of the Wall, but we found him after a while. We’d just met up with some of the other cadets when Armin got arrested.”

“Hmm,” Erwin frowned. “And you?” He asked Eren. 

Nervously, Eren began. He wasn't as good of a liar as Mikasa or Armin, but he was still decent at it. “Me and Armin went out, with the rest of our squad, but… we were ambushed by Titans, who killed the whole squad except us. We barely got away. After the order to retreat came out, we tried to get back to the Wall, but we got separated. I… I couldn’t find him, and I was almost out of gas so… I went over the Wall. Mikasa and Armin found me after a while and told me what happened.” 

Erwin nodded. “So you did not actually see the Rogue Titan?” 

“Rogue Titan, sir?”

“The Titan that sealed the Walls.”

“Oh,” Eren frowned. That was what they were calling him? “No, I didn’t.” 

“Are you aware of why your friend was arrested?” Erwin asked after a few seconds of contemplative silence. 

Mikasa shook her head. “They said it was for ‘fraternization with the enemy’, but we don’t know what that means.” She said quietly, tugging at the ends of her scarf. 

“It means,” Erwin took a deep breath. “The Military Police think that Armin Arlert is in league with the Colossal and Armored Titans, and that the new Rogue Titan is as well. His trial will be held tomorrow, in which we will decide if he is to be interrogated within the custody of the Military Police, or if he will join the Scouting Legion as a member of Squad Leader Hanji’s research division.”

“They think _Armin’s_ on the Colossal and Armored Titan’s side?” Eren asked slightly hysterically, and he laughed bitterly. “They’re out of their minds.”

“What do you mean, ‘ _interrogate’_?” Mikasa asked dangerously, glaring up at the two men. 

Erwin smiled thinly, glancing down at Levi. “Essentially torturing him for information about the Titan, likely executing him after they find out what they want.” 

Both Eren and Mikasa nearly _lost_ it at those words, Mikasa’s face darkening with rage as her knuckles whitened from her clenched fists. Eren growled, his vision going red for a split second, his mind spinning with promises of painful deaths for anyone who _dared_ to hurt Armin. 

“So, you’ll be on Armin’s side during this trial?” Eren ground out, digging his nails into his palms to prevent himself from punching something. 

“Yes, we hope to clear his name.”

“ _Good,”_ Mikasa snarled. 

“We shall be returning tomorrow to collect you for the trial. After the trial, however, you will be released, no matter the outcome.” Erwin said pleasantly, as if Mikasa’s intense glare didn’t faze him one bit. With that, he and Levi walked away, which made Eren realize that Levi hadn’t even said anything during the whole encounter. 

“They _better_ win the trial,” Mikasa muttered angrily. 

“If they don’t…” Eren trailed off, both him and Mikasa knowing _exactly_ what they’d do if Armin was handed over.

***

Armin hated the chains that they put him in as they unlocked the cell door. 

“Come on Armin, we gotta be there soon!” Hanji said, bouncing over to him, an unconcerned smile on their face, despite the circumstances. 

After Erwin and Levi had left the day before, Hanji had stayed with him for another hour at least, asking rapid-fire questions and writing down the answers on a small pad of paper. They’d demanded Armin describe the appearance of the Titan, what exactly it’d done, and how it’d taken out the other Titans, and rambled on and on about the possibilities that this exposed. During the hour that they’d talked, Armin had gained a huge amount of respect for them. Though they were slightly… eccentric, Hanji was a genius in their field, knowing more about Titans than probably anyone alive. 

And so, Armin sighed, but followed Hanji as they led him up a flight of stairs, into what looked like a courtroom. It was huge, the ceiling rising high above their heads, with murals decorating the walls. It was split into two sides, the right holding several members of the Military Police, and the Church of The Walls, along with a few civilians. The left side held Erwin and Levi, along with several other members of the Scouts and Garrison. Near Erwin, Armin spotted both Eren and Mikasa, who looked worried and angry. 

One of the Military Police guards that escorted him and Hanji there shoved him harshly, and he stumbled forwards, continuing to walk to the center of the room, where the guards forced him to his knees, binding his hands behind a tall pole that they put into the ground. 

“Armin Arlert,” He looked up, seeing an old man with a silver beard sitting at the large desk in the middle of the room.  _ Darius Zackly? He’s the overseer of all three of the military branches, why is he  _ here?

“You are brought before this court under charges of fraternization with the enemy, is that correct?” 

Armin glanced at Mikasa and Eren, who were glowering at Zackly. “Y-yes, sir.” He stammered.  _ Calm down,  _ He reminded himself. 

“In this trial, you will either be sentenced guilty of treason to the Crown, and placed in the custody of the Military police, or you will be granted innocence, and placed in the custody of the Scouting Legion,” Zackly explained. He turned to the right side. “Commander Nile Dok, what is your case?”

A tall man with greasy black hair stepped up. “The Military Police believe that Armin Arlert is in league with the Armored and Colossal Titans, and is responsible for the appearance of the Rogue Titan at Trost. If placed in our custody, we will interrogate him to obtain any information about these Titans, before executing him under charges of treason.”

Armin shivered, swallowing nervously. If the Scouts didn’t succeed, and he was handed over to the Military Police… He didn’t even want to think about it. They were notoriously corrupt, and just judging by the mildly disgusted way Nile Dok spoke of him… Whatever would happen in their custody would not end with him in one piece. 

“Commander Erwin Smith, your case?” Zackly continued, either unaware of, or ignoring Armin’s mounting distress. 

“Those of the Scouting Legion and Garrison Regiment are of the opinion that Armin Arlert is innocent of the accused crimes, and wish for him to join our reasearch division under the supervision of Squad Leader Hanji Zoe, should we win this case.” Erwin said simply. 

_ That’s it? That’s all he had to say?  _ Armin frowned. Erwin was cunning; he knew what he was doing, and how to get his way, Armin figured that out within moments of meeting him. But, he was also ruthless, in that, if he did not believe that something could help humanity, he would abandon it within an instant. If he did not want to help Armin, he wouldn’t have gotten involved in the first place.  _ He has a case, he just isn’t unveiling all of it right now. _

Judging by the outraged looks on Mikasa and Eren’s faces, they hadn’t come to that conclusion. Eren muttered something to Mikasa, and she nodded darkly, glaring at the Commander. Eren glanced back at Armin, making eye contact. Subtly, Armin shook his head.  _ It’s fine. Don’t worry about me.  _ He tried to convey. 

Eren scowled, but sighed, relaxing ever-so-slightly, releasing some of the anger that was dangerously close to the surface. Even in the dire situation, the small act of trust warmed Armin’s heart. 

“You cannot seriously believe that!” A member of the Church Of the Walls cried from the other side of the courtroom. “This  _ boy  _ has dared to inflict deformity upon the Walls! You all know about how he stood on the Titan’s shoulder and survived!” 

He could see Eren’s flinch out of the corner of his eye. “He has hardly  _ inflicted  _ anything on the Walls,” Erwin said calmly. 

“This boy being in league with the three other Titans is-”

“Silence!” Zackly’s voice rang out, causing the man who’d spoken to snap his mouth shut. “We shall proceed with the trial. Arlert, is it true that you were the first to see the Rogue Titan?” He addressed Armin. 

Armin’s throat went dry.  _ Time to lie my ass off and hope I don’t get caught,  _ he thought grimly. “No, sir. Mikasa Ackerman was with me when we discovered it.” After Hanji had called him out on referring to Eren’s Titan as ‘him’, he took extra care to not slip up again. 

“Mikasa Ackerman?”

“Me, sir,” Mikasa raised her hand, glancing toward Armin worriedly. “It’s true, we were together when we first saw the Rogue Titan.”

“Under what circumstances?” Nile asked quickly. “Was there a possability that he could have had contact with it before?”

Mikasa hesitated, but Levi muttered something to her, and she sighed. “I found him in an alley, out of gas. So, he could have had contact with the Titan, but up until then, he was with Eren, so there would be very little time, and the Rogue Titan was a few streets away.” She added. 

“So, Arlert was with this ‘Eren’ until you ran into him?” A Military Police officer asked scornfully. 

“Me and Armin were together until a few minutes before Mikasa saw him,” Eren spoke up. His voice was sharp, and he glared across the room at the officer. Armin noticed his ears were red. “We got split up during the retreat.” 

“You are Eren Jaeger, correct?” Zackly asked. “Would there have been any chance before you were separated, for Arlert to contact anyone, or so anything suspicious?” 

Eren shook his head vehemently. “No. We met up minutes after Trost had been breached, and we only were separated after the order to retreat came out. He wasn’t acting suspicious either, unless you consider being afraid of the Titans suspicious,” He snapped. Armin saw Levi elbow him in the ribs for that comment, but Eren’s unmovable support calmed him down considerably. 

“I believe that Eren Jaeger’s account to be hugely biased!” Nile exclaimed, sneering. “We have multiple reports from their fellow cadets that say that Jaeger and Arlert are  _ extremely  _ close, along with Mikasa Ackerman!”

“Maybe they’re all in on it together!” Someone cried. 

“Arrest them too!” 

"They're all traitors!"

“Stop,” Armin whispered to himself, as he looked down. His hair formed a curtain around his face, blocking the sight of the Church members and Military Police jeering and accusing his friends.  _ I can’t do anything,  _ He thought miserably.  _ Just like when Eren got eaten. I couldn’t do anything then either, even if he isn’t actually dead.  _ He was weak, like always. He’d always relied on Mikasa and Eren to protect him.  _ Not this time,  _ He thought suddenly.  _ This time, it’s my turn to protect them. _

_ “Stop. _ ” 

Silence fell over the courtroom, as Armin spoke, still looking down. “My friends are innocent. They had noting to do with any of this. Whatever you accuse me of, accuse me alone.” He locked eyes with Nile, determined this time, to  _ protect  _ Eren and Mikasa. 

_ They can’t take Eren and Mikasa,  _ Armin thought. _ I’ll confess to the crimes they think I’ve committed if I have to. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there we go!  
> I ended up splitting the trial into 2 parts cus it was getting so damn long.  
> I hope i portrayed how much Eren and Mikasa care about Armin well. Like,, with Eren, he's on his way towards romantic feelings for Armin, and he's got... questionable morals, so...  
> aaaaaand we're finally getting into my shitty attempts at writing romance. My thing for this fic is basically that Armin's had an on/off crush on eren for years but he never really thought about it because of all the shit they were going through. I'll get more into the actual eren/armin stuff later, after they've had like a few days where they aren't fearing for their lives. But i WILL get into it a bit more, and it WILL be shitty, and im sorry. (They won't be the main focus, don't worry)  
> comment if you liked it, they legitimately give me life.


	11. Acquitted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are several new revelations, but the trial comes to a close. Erwin, Levi, and Hanji discuss their theories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're at the end of the trial!! This chapter felt really rocky, and hard to write, so i'm sorry if it sucks lol.  
> -  
> Warnings: discussion of torture, execution, and murder.

After a few seconds of silence after Armin’s declaration, Zackly cleared his throat. “I am sure you are all aware of Rico Brzenska’s report of a human emerging from the Rogue Titan’s nape and escaping under the cover of the steam with an accomplice?”

_What?_

Eren froze, Zackly’s voice still ringing in his ears. He’d been caught? _No, that can’t be it._ He thought. _If they knew it was me who came out of the Titan, I’d be in a cell right now, not walking around free._ He glanced at Armin, who seemed mostly unfazed by the revelation. _So, he already knew. Why didn’t Erwin tell us?_

Quickly, he shook himself from his thoughts. This was no time to worry about that, there were other pressing matters at hand. 

“Is Rico Brzenska here to confirm this?” One of the many members of the Church asked over the whispers. 

“Yes,” A shorter woman with light grey hair stepped forwards beside him, her glasses reflecting the dim light streaming in through the windows. “I can confirm that the report is true.” 

“What are they talking about, ‘emerging from the Rogue Titan’s nape?” Someone asked loudly. 

“When the Rogue Titan placed the boulder against the Wall, it had crouched down, and released a lot of steam. I was close enough to see through it, but I couldn’t see their faces or what they were wearing. What I _did_ see was someone pull themselves out of the Titan’s nape, and a second person climbed up next to them and helped pull them out. Then, they escaped under the cover of the steam.” Rico said coldly. 

Eren silently breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn’t seen either of their faces. _What does this have to do with Armin, though?_ Then, it clicked. _They think Armin is the accomplice!_

They were right, of course, but Eren, Armin, and Mikasa didn’t want them to know that. How were they supposed to convince the Military Police of something that wasn’t true? 

“What are the two sides’ response to this news?” Zackly asked, gesturing for Nile to speak. 

“The Military Police are of the belief that Armin Arlert was, in fact, the person who helped the individual who emerged from the Titan!” Nile explained. “As such, he knows the identity of the Rogue Titan. We should interrogate him about who they are, and execute both of them after the information has been revealed to us.” 

Eren clenched his teeth, utilizing every ounce of his self-control to not lunge across the courtroom and beat the greasy-haired man bloody. They all knew exactly what ‘interrogation’ meant by Military Police standards, and to _imagine_ Armin being forced to go through that, only to be executed afterwards made him want to scream. 

Fearfully, he glanced down at Armin, who was still chained on the floor. He held an air of calmness, but Eren knew better. After being friends with Armin for almost ten years, he could easily tell how anxious and terrified he was. It only made him want to throttle every member of the Military Police more. 

“Erwin, your response?” Zackly cut through his vengeful thoughts. 

Erwin nodded, clearing his throat. “Armin has told us that he, too, witnessed this occurrence,” _What?_ “And we intend to conduct an investigation into who was inside of the Titan, not to execute them, but to utilize their abilities for the benefit of humanity-“

He was interrupted by a merchant on the opposite side. “But you can’t believe that this _Titan_ will be on our side! It’s in league with the Colossal and Armoured Titans, along with this _mongrel!”_ He gestured at Armin, who’s expression shuttered. 

“I think you’ll find that the Rogue Titan is actually on our side,” Armin said, his voice steady, cutting through the sudden silence of the room. 

_What are you doing, Armin?_ Eren wondered desperately. _Are you_ trying _to incriminate yourself?_ He frowned down at the blond, confused. _It doesn’t matter,_ He realized with a start. Armin always had a plan, and he’d never been wrong before. He _trusted_ Armin to do this. 

“The Colossal Titan appeared, and kicked a hole in the Wall, which the Rogue Titan sealed. That, in and of itself, should prove that it is on our side,” Armin said surprisingly coldly, gazing intensely at the man who’d spoken earlier. “Additionally, it didn’t touch a single human, only killing other Titans. Even if there wasn’t a person inside of it, it would be good to _study_ it at the very least.” 

“Our hope is that the investigation, lead by Squad Leader Zoë, and hopefully aided by Arlert, will uncover the identity of the Rogue Titan,” Erwin said. “Who we will then work with to seal the hole in the Shiganshina District,” 

***

Oh. _Oh._

_So that was Erwin’s master plan._ _ That _ was what he’d been betting on. He was going to use the prospect of victory against the Titans to manipulate them. 

And it seemed to be working, too. A hushed silence fell, whispers from the crowd drifting over to them occasionally. They were all staring at Erwin like he was crazy, which, honestly, Armin sort of wanted to agree with. But, he’d gotten their attention. 

“When would this investigation take place?” Zackly asked after a few moments of silence. 

“Sir, you cannot be seriously considering this-“ Nile was cut off harshly by Erwin. 

“After our next expedition, which is roughly a week and a half from now.” 

“And you would take custody and responsibility over Arlert, and use the information he gives you to aid your investigation into the identity of the Rogue Titan?” 

“Now, wait-“

“We will, sir.” Erwin nodded. 

Zackly frowned to himself, seeming to silently debate the pros and cons to each situation. 

Armin’s stomach was doing cartwheels at this point, flipping around in his throat as he watched Zackly write something down on a piece of paper. This was it. He would either be tortured and killed by the Military Police, or be under constant surveillance and suspicion by the Scouts. 

He glanced at Eren and Mikasa out of the corner of his eye. Mikasa was tense, glaring at Zackly as if daring him to hand him over to the Military Police. Eren was clutching the wood railings in front of him tightly, sending poisonous glares at Zackly and Nile. 

_ If I get handed over to the Police, I might reveal Eren’s identity.  _ He thought grimly. He had a higher-than-average pain tolerance, but that would only get him so far while being tortured. He didn’t even want to think about what could happen to Eren if he revealed his identity. 

“I have reached a decision,” Zackly said, steepling his fingers. “Armin Arlert is to go into the custody of the Scouts.”

Armin felt a wave of relief crash over him, and he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He was going with the Scouts, not the Military Police. He glanced over at Eren and Mikasa, who were both much more relaxed, Eren grinning at him. Tentatively, he returned it.

Zackly continued. “Erwin Smith, you will hold responsibility for him, if he is indeed a spy for the Colossal and Armored Titans. You will begin the investigation as soon as you return from the upcoming expedition, understood?” 

Erwin smiled, genuinely this time. “Understood, sir.” 

Half of the courtroom erupted into protests, most coming from the Wall Church, but Zackly cut through the noise with a few sharp slaps to the desk he sat at. 

“This court is dismissed,” he said curtly, and a guard walked over to Armin to unchain him. 

It was far from perfect, the Scouts definitely thought he was suspicious, and Eren would be in even more danger of getting exposed, but in that moment, as Armin smiled happily at a beaming Eren, he couldn’t bring himself to care. 

***

Hanji frowned down at their notes from when they’d stayed behind to interrogate Armin Arlert about the Rogue Titan. 

_ It doesn’t add up,  _ They thought, flipping through the notes to try and see if they missed something. It was clear that the boy had a personal connection to the Rogue Titan, just from how he talked about it, but how far did that connection go? 

“Do you really think he was actually the one to pull the person out of the Titan’s body?” They asked, looking up at Erwin, who nodded grimly.

“It wasn’t included in the report, but I spoke to Rico Brzenska before the trial. She described the appearance of the two individuals as best as she could.” He paused. 

“And?” Levi prompted impatiently. “We don’t have all day, old man.” 

“She said that whoever the accomplice was, fit Arlert’s physique perfectly. She also mentioned that they were both wearing military jackets and ODM gear.” 

“Great, so the blond toothpick is our accomplice, who the hell is the Rogue Titan?” Levi huffed, running a hand through his hair. 

“Wait,” Hanji said, their eyes widening. “When we talked to those friends of his, there were some pretty big holes in their stories. That boy, Eren, he said he’d continued to the other side of the Wall, right? But that doesn’t make sense,” They paused for a second, pushing their glasses up. “He wouldn’t have made it back with the amount of gas he said he had. Plus, he doesn’t seem like someone who just leaves their best friend in Titan territory.” 

“He seemed very… protective when we spoke to him,” Erwin agreed. “And he was the only one who wasn’t there when the Rogue Titan appeared. Convenient, no?” 

Hanji nodded, grinning enthusiastically. “Great! So we have our Rogue Titan, Eren Jaeger! What do we do with him? Oooh, I’d love to run some experiments on him!” 

“We won’t do anything.” 

“What?” Levi sneered. “Why the hell not? We found our Titan, why not use him?” 

Erwin sighed. “From what I’ve seen, that trio is very close-knit. I believe that both Eren Jaeger and Mikasa Ackerman will join the Scouting Legion to be with their friend. However, we cannot confront him, since we have no idea how he’d react.” 

“So we use the week and a half we have ‘till the expedition to figure him out more, and build some trust?” Hanji asked. 

Erwin nodded. “If we want this to work…” He sighed. “We have to let him come to us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hanji, Erwin, and Levi all know now basically..  
> For now, things will be safe, but during the upcoming expedition, what will happen?  
> I played around with the timeline a bit, sorry. Basically, what happened is, the actual expedition happened about a month after the trials, in which they experimented with Eren's titan, right? Well, i thought, since they don't know Eren is a Titan in the first place, why would they wait so long, especially with an important investigation they need to get into after they get back? So, the expedition is happening a week and a half early, which will come into play during the Stohess arc >:)  
> hope you enjoyed it!! i'm looking forward to getting into the next arc!


	12. Preperations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren worries for Armin, who misses his friends desperately. Hanji is surprisingly kind about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the recent manga chapter and episode killed me emotionally so i'm writing this out of pure spite.  
> Enjoy the chapter that i cried so much while writing that i almost couldn't see my computer.  
> -  
> Warnings: mention of murder and death in general

Eren felt like slamming his head against the wall for the hundredth time that day. It’d been three days since the trial, in which he’d spent all of his time helping with the cleanup at Trost, which he’d been unable to do in the days leading up to it. But those three days were spent without Armin, with only the news that he would be safe with the Scouts. They hadn’t even been able to say anything before Armin had been dragged out of the courtroom, only being able to share a brief smile. 

It was _torture._ The Scouts had said that Armin would be safe with them, but Eren’s mind couldn’t stop itself from worrying constantly, imagining any and every horrible thing that could be happening to him. When he was in the cell with Mikasa, it’d almost been _better_ than it was now. That’d only been for a day and a half, and he’d been comforted with the fact that Armin was at least somewhere _near_ him. 

_Walls, I’m turning into Mikasa,_ He thought, laughing at himself silently. _Armin will be fine. And if he isn’t… Mikasa and I can hide bodies if we need to._

Having Mikasa around really helped, as much as he hated to admit it. He felt weak for needing her support, but really, she admitted herself that she needed his support just as much. She never left his side when they were in Trost, although it would be better to describe it as neither of them leaving the other’s side, and while they hadn’t really _talked_ about what happened in Trost (they were saving that for when Armin was there too), there was an unspoken understanding that developed between them. Mikasa would help cover for anything that might be classified as suspicious in front of their fellow cadets, who all were extremely nosy, especially after Armin’s arrest. 

He could recall very vividly, the moment where they’d decided that it was their personal mission to understand what was going on. He and Mikasa had left the dining hall for some privacy, where he’d explained the details of how he’d discovered his healing abilities, when Sasha and Connie, soon followed by Jean, Annie, Bertholdt, and Reiner had found them. 

“Wow, Eren, you and Mikasa are sneaking off too now?” Connie had asked loudly. 

“Huh? What d'you mean, ‘too’?” Sasha frowned. 

“Eren and Armin were sneaking off all the time back at the training camp. We all knew, but we acted like we didn’t so they didn’t feel bad,” Connie stage whispered back at her, before turning back to the two of them. “So, whatcha talking about?”

“What?” Eren had asked, bewildered both by their sudden appearance and the barrage of questions. 

“I mean, we’ve got bets going and everything, man! Ymir, Annie, and Reiner think you and Armin are totally banging, but Krista and Jean’s money were on you and Mikasa!” Connie complained, oblivious to Eren and Mikasa’s discomfort. 

“Wha-? What’re you-” Eren sputtered, torn between being confused and embarrassed. Mikasa sighed, pulling her scarf up to cover her mouth. “Mikasa is my _sister,_ what the fuck-” 

“Oh so you and Armin-”

“Jesus, Connie, you don’t just tell someone that we’re all betting on their love life!” Jean rounded the corner, smacking Connie in the back of the head. “Plus, they were probably talking about, you know, _Armin getting arrested.”_

“Wait, Armin got arrested?” Bertholdt asked, popping out from where Jean came from. Annie and Reiner followed. 

“Yeah, you didn’t know that?”

“Where did you _think_ Armin was?”

Eren groaned. The conversations were moving far too fast for his taste, not to mention that he was already exhausted from cleanup and stressed about Armin’s safety. “Yes, Armin got arrested,” He said, rubbing his eyes, too tired to be angry at the questions. 

“Why?” Annie asked, her usually stoic face concerned. 

“They thought he was in league with the Colossal and Armored Titans, which was _bullshit,_ ” He said, gesturing aimlessly. “But the Scouts convinced them that he wasn’t and now he’s with them.”

“How do _you_ know that?” Connie asked. 

“Eren and I got brought in as witnesses,” Mikasa interjected softly. 

“Why weren’t all of us, then? Basically all of us and Marco were there to see what happened at the Wall. And Eren wasn’t even there!” Reiner said, oblivious to the flinches of Annie and Bertholdt. 

“I think they just wanted to get the trial over with, and me and Mikasa were already there,” Eren said, then frowned. “Oh, speaking of, where’s Marco? I haven’t seen him since we got back.” 

Jean inhaled sharply, looking down, and Eren felt a pit of dread begin to form. “I… Today, during the cleanup, I… saw him,” He took in a deep, shuddering breath, closing his eyes tightly, and clenching his fists in an attempt not to cry. “He’s dead. Eaten.” 

Eren felt suddenly numb. He didn’t want to believe it. Marco, the same boy who’d defended him from the Titans as he carried the boulder, the boy who’d been a steadfastly kind presence during the three years of training, was dead. 

Death wasn’t new to him. He’d experienced it all his life, even causing deaths himself. But every time, it felt like someone had ripped a hole in his chest, leaving him to bleed out or heal. Depending on the circumstances, he would heal faster, like when he’d killed two of the men who’d kidnapped Mikasa. But when it was someone like this, someone he knew… He never fully healed from it. 

After his mother died… he felt like he couldn’t ever heal for a long time. He felt like he would bleed out from the gaping hole in his chest. And then, when his father didn’t come for them, it felt like someone reopened the barely-healed wound. Only Armin and Mikasa saved him from bleeding out. And now Marco, who’d been his friend for three years, was dead, and had reopened the still healing hole in his chest that had been left by his dead squad. 

After that revelation, the mood had shifted drastically, allowing Mikasa to drag Eren away. When they reached the privacy of another alleyway, she’d hugged him, and for the first time in months, Eren hugged her back. They’d stayed there for a while, silently holding each other together. It was barely enough, and they were both keenly aware of who was missing. 

***

Armin wasn’t sure what he’d expected to happen once the trial was over. 

He’d hoped that the suspicions surrounding him would drop, and he wouldn’t have to look over his shoulder constantly. He knew it wasn’t going to happen, but he’d foolishly hoped. He almost hadn’t dared to think about what would actually happen. 

Within the three days he’d been with the Scouts at their current base, a castle within Wall Rose, everyone besides Hanji and Levi had adamantly avoided him. He knew why, of course, but that didn’t mean he had to _like_ it. 

It didn’t help that every time he’d tried to sleep, he was jolted awake every few hours, images of Eren being eaten, and their squad being killed flashing through his mind. He had only slept for five hours since he’d arrived, and it was taking a toll on him, making him more irritable, causing his already turbulent emotions to rise to the surface. 

Hanji was one of the only people who talked to him. They’d taken it upon themselves to drag Armin out of the barracks, into their lab, or to the field where there were two live Titans being experimented on. They were overly enthusiastic about the two Titans, who had been named Sawney and Bean, and every time Armin went with them to document or just watch the experiments, their enthusiasm infected him, lifting his spirits for the briefest amount of time, but it would only last until he returned to the castle, and was reminded of the blatant mistrust of him from several Scouts. 

That mistrust was evident whenever he saw the ‘Levi Squad’, as the Scouts had nicknamed it. Levi had told him on the first day, that when he wasn’t being supervised by Hanji, Zackly had ordered that either Levi or his squad would watch him. Apparently the Military Police had demanded it, after they realized that they weren’t going to win the trial. 

And so, over the course of three days, whenever Hanji had to leave, someone from the Levi Squad (normally Petra or Eld), would be forced to babysit him. He hated it, and clearly they did too, watching his every movement like he was going to snap any second and summon the Rogue Titan to kill them all. It hurt a bit, in all honesty. Petra and Eld were nicer about it, actually initiating conversations, and generally being kinder, but whenever Oluo was forced to be anywhere near him, he would regularly threaten him, or make rude comments. 

Armin desperately missed Eren and Mikasa. He hadn’t seen them in three days, and hadn’t spoken to them in five. He constantly felt like a part of him was _missing_ now, after spending every day for the past five years with them. It didn’t _hurt,_ but it felt more hollow than it would if they were there with him. 

_It’ll only be a few days,_ He reminded himself. Levi had informed him that the cadets would be making the decision of which branch to join that day, and whatever new recruits they got would spend the next few days memorizing the long-range scouting formation that Erwin created. Hanji had assured him that he’d see Eren and Mikasa soon, but the feeling of hollowness persisted. 

“Armin!” Someone nudged him, and he jumped, nearly knocking over the now-cold cup of tea that Hanji had given him an hour ago. After fumbling around for a few seconds, he turned to see Hanji, looking at him with a concerned expression. “Are you okay?” They asked. 

He chuckled awkwardly, looking down. “I’m fine, just… The captain told me that tonight is when my friends pick which branch they’re going to join.” He mumbled. 

Hanji frowned, cocking their head to the side curiously. “Are you worried they aren’t going to join the Scouts?” 

“No! God, no. Eren wanted to join when he was _nine,_ and Mikasa will follow him without hesitation,” Armin protested, the thought of Eren’s enthusiasm about the Scouts bringing a small smile to his face. “I’m just a bit… I don’t know, actually. We’d promised to join the Scouts together, but right now I can’t even see them.” His smile turned bitter. 

“Hmm…” Hanji frowned, leaning against the desk they’d been working at moments prior. “Well, what if you could see them?”

Armin blinked. “What?”

“What if you _could_ see them?” They grinned. “Erwin and Zackly said you couldn’t leave on your own, but what if you left with a supervisor?” They winked, gesturing to themselves. 

Armin was left speechless. What Hanji was offering… He knew that they’d grown slightly close over the past few days, but to offer to take him to the graduation ceremony? They had to have some ulterior motive, but Armin couldn’t think of what it could be. “You… You’d be willing to do that for me?” He asked tentatively. A chance to see his friends again, if only for a second, was too great to pass up. 

Hanji nodded enthusiastically. “Of course! Under normal circumstances, you’d be there right now, and even if we thought you were a spy, it’s not like you can learn anything from a graduation ceremony!” 

Slowly, a small smile stretched across Armin’s face. Maybe being with the Scouts wasn’t so bad after all. 

***

They weren’t really  _ sneaking out, _ per se, just leaving the castle and hoping no one spotted them. 

Hanji had already felt bad for Armin before they’d met him, but now that they’d basically been around each other nonstop for three days, they felt significantly worse. The poor kid was only fifteen, and was being accused of treason, and almost got executed, for the Wall’s sake!

So, naturally, when he expressed disappointment over not being at the graduation ceremony with his friends, Hanji took matters into their own hands. Sneaking out of the castle was obviously the best choice, obviously, and hopefully seeing his friends would make Armin feel better. 

A small voice whispered in the back of their mind that,  _~~ You also need to build trust so that he’ll confess to knowing the identity of the Rogue Titan, ~~ _ but they ignored it. 

Getting out of the castle was the easiest part. Finding a way to actually get to the graduation ceremony was harder. Not that Hanji would let Armin know that, the kid deserved a break for once. They could sneak into one of the wagons, but whoever was in it would likely not stay silent. So, taking a horse, and wearing hoods was their next best option. 

Armin seemed hesitant at first, but at the reminder that he could see his friends, he relented, and followed Hanji to the stables. Thankfully, no one was watching the horses at the moment, and the two easily took two of them and rode off after Erwin’s group. 

When they arrived, Hanji instructed Armin to keep his hood up, while Hanji led him to the side of the field, where no one was likely to look. Slowly, cadets began to fill the area, and Hanji could see Armin’s gaze flitting through the crowd, looking for his friends. 

“You said your friends were dead set on joining the Scouts, right?” They asked in a moment of curiosity. “Were you ever worried about them?”

Armin seemed to pause, frowning. “At first,” He said slowly. “But during training… Mikasa ranked number one, and Eren was number five. They both can handle themselves. I’m still worried of course, especially after Trost,” There, he shuddered. “But I accepted a long time ago that they were going to join.”

Hanji nodded. “Well, it’s rare we get new recruits who made it into the top ten, so we’ll be happy to have them.” 

Just as they finished speaking, Erwin walked out onto the platform, followed by the Levi Squad, who stood slightly behind him. The quiet mutterings of the crowd died down, and everyone looked towards the Commander. 

“I’m sure most of you know this already, but over 60% of the Scouts have died in the past five years.” He said. 

Hanji winced. The statistic wasn’t something they were proud of, but as much as they hated it, no one deserved to go into being a Scout blind. They glanced over at Armin, who was frowning, clearly trying to figure out what Erwin was doing. 

“What you likely didn’t know, is that, in those five years, we have gained more knowledge about the Titans than we have in one hundred years,” Erwin continued, ignoring the incredulous looks and glares. “And after the Trost incident, we have gained new information that could change everything.” 

Both Armin and Hanji tensed. What was Erwin doing? Was he going to reveal what really happened at Trost? 

“The story you’ve been told about Trost was that an abnormal Titan picked up the boulder, and sealed the Walls, but this isn’t the whole truth,” Suddenly, it was completely silent. “The truth is that there was a human inside that Titan, controlling it’s movements.” 

There were a few more seconds of silence, before the crowd erupted. Shouts echoed through the field, mostly shocked, but also angry and upset. People hurled accusations at Erwin, screaming at him as he remained stoic. The man seemed completely unaffected by it, but Hanji knew better. The slightest dip of his (massive) eyebrows, the twitch in his eye, they all screamed loud and clear to Hanji that Erwin was upset. 

Glancing over beside them, Hanji noticed Armin’s frown. The shorter blond was muttering to himself quietly, and they only caught a few snippets of what he was saying. He was obviously confused by the announcement, but at least he wasn’t angry about it. 

Hanji wondered if it was really a good idea to have brought Armin here. 

“The identity of the Rogue Titan is unknown,” Erwin continued to speak after the crowd had died down a bit. “But they are on humanity’s side. They saved us at Trost, and the Scouting Legion will investigate their identity in order to work with them again,” He gazed out at the crowd, steely determination in his eyes. “With a human-titan shifter on our side, we may finally seal the hole in Wall Maria, and save humanity.”

This time, there was no moment of silence. The cadets practically went ballistic, and Hanji caught Petra sending a worried glance at Erwin, muttering something to Levi, who shook his head. 

“Is he saying that to get more recruits, or something else…?” Hanji heard Armin mutter, and they frowned. The kid was smart, there was no denying that, but he lacked enough experience to properly see what Erwin’s plan was. Before the trial, Hanji knew that they, Levi, and Erwin all noticed the intelligent gleam in his eyes, his way of deflecting the questions, and his easy lies. He had a while to go, but his potential was high. 

Erwin cleared his throat, silencing the entire field in seconds. “I now ask anyone who wishes to join the Scouts to stay. Anyone who doesn’t, may leave.” 

Slowly, as Erwin’s words set in, cadets began to stream out, leaving only a few cadets behind. Hanji heard Armin inhale sharply, and turned to see his eyes wide with shock. 

“Jean, Connie, Sasha…? And everyone else too?” He breathed, shock turning into a small grin.

“Who’re they?” Hanji asked. 

“My friends from the 104th,” Armin explained, his eyes still on the leftover cadets. “I didn’t think they’d join after Trost…” Suddenly, Hanji saw him tense, his eyes snapping across the field. Following his gaze, they realized that it was Armin’s friends, Eren Jaeger, and Mikasa Ackerman. 

Interestingly, the two looked unafraid, unflinching at the idea of joining the Scouts permanently, whereas everyone else looked terrified, or at the very least worried. At least three people were crying, but the two at the back of the field stared forwards. 

“Thank you, soldiers. You are all brave enough to join the Scouting Legion despite the odds stacked against us,” Erwin smiled slightly, and saluted. “This is a genuine salute!” 

Hanji watched, fascinated, as the cadets saluted back, several of them with grim expressions on their face now. There was no going back, and they knew that now.

Armin stood beside them, staring at the two figures at the back of the field, poorly concealed longing and fear dancing in his eyes as he watched them leave. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall know by now, im a slut for some hurt/comfort, so i couldn't resist putting it in this chapter.  
> Armin and Hanji are totally great friends, they would 100% have a mentorship thing going on here, fight me. Hanji basically sees him as an endearing cousin who's almost as smart as them. They'd totally feel bad for Armin in this situation, i mean, they feel bad for cutting up titans,,  
> Eren and Mikasa's friendship makes me want to cry, just saying. Like, ik that eremika is a huge ship for the fandom, but it always seemed weird to me cus i always viewed them as siblings. So that's what we're going with in this story. If you ship it, i guess you can take the sibling bonding moments as ship moments, but they aren't meant like that lol. this is an armin/eren story lmao.  
> Next chapter will have eren, armin, and mikasa seeing each other again, don't worry! (It'll probably just be a shorter, filler-y chapter with mostly hurt/comfort because i need it rn. Im not sorry)  
> I hope the timeline is making sense??  
> thanks for reading!!

**Author's Note:**

> Instagram: @demonic_crocs


End file.
